LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Monday a Clearlake man was sentenced to six years in state prison for fatally stabbing his neighbor during a fight over a rented boat in May 2013.
Judge Andrew Blum gave the sentence to Darrell Vernon Sidwell, 58.
Sidwell originally had been facing a murder charge and the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.
However, in March Deputy District Attorney Megan Lankford and Sidwell's attorney Stephen Carter reached an agreement in which Sidwell pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, as Lake County News has reported.
Clearlake Police officers arrested Sidwell last May for stabbing to death 43-year-old Brad Beaudion, as Lake County News has reported.
Police found Beaudion outside of his Park Street home on the evening of May 9, 2013, with a stab wound to his stomach. He identified his assailant as “Darrell” before losing his ability to speak and being taken to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake, where he died later that night.
According to the police investigation, the men had quarreled over a boat located near Sidwell’s residence.
During the Monday afternoon sentencing, Victim-Witness advocate Crystal Martin read into the court record a victim impact statement from Beaudion's parents, who were present for the sentencing.
In their letter, Beaudion's parents described the devastating impact of their son's death on his family and friends.
They felt their son was being forgotten in the case, and lamented how that Sidwell's version of events – that it was an accident – had become the accepted story.
Stephen Carter, Sidwell's attorney, said he also wanted to make a statement to the court.
Sidwell began to read the statement but became too upset to continue and instead Carter read it for him.
“It was the worst day of my life and I will never forget it as long as I live,” the statement said.
Sidwell, in his written statement, called the deadly confrontation an “accident” that arose over a rented boat.
He said he and his family have owned property in Lake County for about 35 years. The home he owns has access to a dock and beach.
Sidwell, who said he is 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds and is on permanent disability, said he had been approached aggressively four times by Beaudion before the stabbing occurred.
“This is a clear case of self-defense,” he said in his statement, adding that he put himself at Blum's mercy.
Blum denied probation, noting that Sidwell has a demonstrated history of alcohol abuse and was drunk at the time he stabbed Beaudion.
Based on the plea agreement, Blum sentenced Sidwell to the middle term of six years, noting he had 432 days of custody credit.
Due to the crime's violent nature, Blum said Sidwell is limited to 15 percent of other available credits.
Blum then ordered Sidwell be remanded into custody and transported to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Carter said in a previous interview that he expected Sidwell to be released from prison in four years.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.