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 Carolyn Folkes, 87.
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.
Sheriff’s officials said her body was discovered in a home on Corto Lane in unincorporated El Cajon. Folkes was also at the home when deputies arrived, then arrested him.
The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said Folkes used a homemade shotgun, described in a criminal complaint as a “zip gun.”
In an online obituary, Folkes, a mother of four, was described as a lifelong San Diegan, with ties to City Heights, El Cajon, Lakeside and Lemon Grove. She enjoyed attending Shadow Mountain Community Church, supporting dog rescues and gardening wildflowers.
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.”
