PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — A Placer County man was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison after killing his father – a retired military colonel – and trying to kill his mother.
According to the Placer County District Attorney's Office, Eric Bryant was sentenced Thursday after being convicted by a jury in November 2023.
Prosecutors say Bryant stabbed his father multiple times with household objects, including a garden stake. His mother tried to call 911 when he attacked her and she lost consciousness. She woke up hours later and tried calling 911 when she was attacked again.
Bryant’s father, retired Col. Charles Cinnamon, was found dead at the scene and his mother was in the living room with serious injuries. Bryant was found hiding in the backyard bushes and confessed to the killing after he was arrested.
Prosecutors say he was living in a trailer in front of his parent’s house and he got angry during dinner they wouldn’t buy him a car. He decided to take theirs so he could go to LA to be a street performer.
He was convicted of second-degree murder, attempted murder and dissuading a witness with force on Nov. 9, 2023.
“The defendant violated a position of trust and chose to violently attack his parents after they had graciously opened their home and supported him,” said Supervising Deputy District Attorney Lisa Botwinik. “He felt entitled, so he chose to forcefully take from them when he didn’t get his way. His act was the ultimate betrayal and he is being held accountable for his horrific actions. Mrs. Cinnamon’s ability to survive this attack and then testify about it years later shows her strength and resilience.”
Cinnamon is remembered as a “devoted family man who was very generous and wise.” He served more than 30 years in the Air Force and received numerous decorations.
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