A National City man has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the 2010 fatal stabbing of his father who was also his supervisor at work.
Sentencing for Rickey Orlando Cotton Jr., 37, was set for July 9 by Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Esteban Hernandez. Cotton pleaded guilty just before jury selection was to begin in his trial involving the death of Rickey Lando Cotton Sr., 54.
Deputy District Attorney Allen Brown said Friday Cotton faces a maximum term of 58 years and four months in state prison. Because Cotton has two felony convictions, he is eligible for the 25-year sentence for murder to be doubled.
Brown said the judge could also add more years to the term for the personal use of a knife in the Sept. 5, 2010, crime and for having prior convictions. The father and son were subcontractors in repairing Navy ships at NAASCO. They both worked as electricians.
Cotton also pleaded guilty to battery upon a sheriff’s deputy while in jail the day after he was arrested. Brown said Cotton punched a deputy and damaged an eye socket. He could receive an additional one year and four months for that.
Cotton had been living temporarily with his father in the 200 block of Laurel Avenue in National City when the crime occurred. The victim was stabbed in the torso several times at home. He later died in a hospital.
Cotton’s attorney wrote in court documents that his client was drunk at the time. Cotton remains in jail without bail.
