A Ventura County man was sentenced to prison Thursday for murdering his brother-in-law.

Elsworth Dennis Cadle, 71, was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison for the murder of his brother-in-law, Mark Milton, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

In 2019, Cadle’s estranged wife and daughter were living in Moorpark with his sister and brother-in-law, Milton.

By January 2020, Cadle’s wife and daughter had moved into their own apartment. 

They later rented a U-Haul truck to pick up their belongings from Cadle’s apartment. They also picked up belongings from a Public Storage unit located on Los Angeles Avenue in Moorpark that belonged to Milton.

On Jan. 3, 2020, Cadle drove past the storage unit where he spotted Milton at around 2:20 p.m.

Cadle decided to rent a car before retrieving his gun and driving back to the storage unit. There, he spotted Milton sitting in the driver’s seat of the U-Haul truck.

That’s when Cadle shot Milton in the head and fled the area, according to the DA’s office. Milton was pronounced dead at the scene.

Cadle was arrested several hours later by Ventura County deputies. The gun used in the murder was found inside the center console of his rental car, authorities said.

“This was a heartbreaking incident for the family,” said Supervising Senior Deputy District Attorney Melissa Suttner, who prosecuted the case. “My hope is that today’s significant sentence will provide a path for the family to begin healing.”

In May, Cadle pled guilty to the second-degree murder of his brother-in-law with a special allegation of the personal and intentional discharge of a firearm resulting in death.

“The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office did a wonderful job investigating this case and their efforts should not go unnoticed,” Suttner said. “This is a tragic case and now that the defendant took responsibility for taking his brother-in-law’s life, the family can begin to heal.”