An East County man convicted of fatally shooting his elderly mother was sentenced Thursday to 76 years to life in state prison.
Chase Folkes, 57, was found guilty by an El Cajon jury earlier this year of second-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the May 17, 2022, death of 87-year-old Carolyn Folkes.
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Prosecutors say Folkes shot his mother in the head after she hid her debit card from him, which he wanted to use to buy alcohol.
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Sheriff's officials said her body was discovered in a home on Corto Lane, located in unincorporated East County. Folkes was also at the home when deputies arrived and was arrested.
The San Diego County District Attorney's Office said Folkes used a homemade shotgun in the slaying, which was described in a criminal complaint as a "zip gun."
In a statement, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan called the killing "a heartbreaking example of elder abuse in its most extreme form. Taking the life of an innocent person is always horrific but when it is in the context of a son against an elderly mother, the complexity and harm committed is very deep."
