A Southeast Washington man who fatally stabbed a neighbor who he mistakenly thought let a dog soil his lawn was sentenced this week to 17 years in prison.
Ellsworth Colbert, 57, was found guilty of manslaughter in January after a week-long trial in D.C. Superior Court. Prosecutors said that Ellsworth confronted Robert L. Wright, 37, as he walked a friend’s dog in their Penn Branch neighborhood on the morning of March 4, 2012.
Authorities said there was no sign that the pit bull, named Macho, had actually soiled Colbert’s lawn.
Colbert was sentenced Wednesday by Judge Herbert B. Dixon, Jr., and will be placed on five years of supervised release after completing his prison term.
