Elderly Man Sentenced To Life Without Parole For Killing Family

REDONDO BEACH, CA – An elderly man convicted of shooting and killing his wife and son in 2010 was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. John Edward Bloodworth, 72, of West Athens was found guilty last May 10 of one count each of first-degree murder and second-degree murder, along with the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders.

The jury deadlocked on whether he was sane or insane at the time of the killings, but a second jury found on Jan. 26 that he was sane at the time of the crimes.

Bloodworth confronted his 63-year-old wife, Gladys, on Oct. 20, 2010, and accused her of being unfaithful. His wife denied his allegations and went with their 25-year-old son, Jeremy, to his bedroom, where they holed up with the door locked, according to Deputy District Attorney Jessica Tillson.

Bloodworth remained outside his son's bedroom until after 2 the next morning, when he kicked the door down, shot his son once in the head and shot his wife twice in the back of the neck, according to evidence presented at his trial.

City News Service contributed to this post; Image via Shutterstock