The Colorado Springs man convicted in the killing of another man over a stolen ax was sentenced to prison Monday, marking his second stint behind bars for a homicide charge in Colorado.

Eric Felix, 49, was found guilty by an El Paso County jury of manslaughter for the Nov. 7, 2022, killing of Ricky Keiser. He went through a four-day jury trial in November after pleading not guilty to the crime the year prior.

Felix was initially charged with second-degree murder, but court records show the count was amended to manslaughter.

According to past Gazette coverage, officers found Keiser dead just after 3 a.m. when dispatch began receiving calls about a possible body in the area of South Fountain Street and South Union Boulevard on the city’s southeast side.

An arrest affidavit stated that Felix had been seen at Keiser’s tent with a golf club the day before, and he was allegedly upset with Keiser, according to witnesses.

“The whole thing was over a double-sided ax,” one witness told detectives, according to arresting documents.

When Felix arrived at the campsite to confront Keiser, he used his golf club to beat Keiser repeatedly while he was reportedly hiding inside his tent, causing his death.

Shackled at the hands and feet, a quiet Felix appeared in custody for his Monday sentencing, where an El Paso County judge handed down the maximum sentence allowed in the Department of Corrections — six years.

Ahead of the ruling, Keiser’s brother took to the stand to provide an emotionally charged victim impact statement.

“He has a son that will now grow up without a dad,” Roy Keiser said as he asked for the maximum sentence possible. “His loss is permanent and will shape his entire life.”

Roy Keiser expressed frustration during his statement over the constant delays in the case, which dragged on for more than three years. He stated the reasons behind the delays varied, from Felix reportedly refusing transport to court to his filing of a restraining order against his initial counsel.

“This case was delayed for years because of (the defendant’s) own actions,” Roy Keiser said.

A letter from the mother of Keiser’s son was read aloud by the prosecution.

In arguments made before sentencing, the prosecution asked for the maximum sentence while the defense requested a four-year sentence to the Department of Corrections.

Also during the prosecution’s argument, a few new details were shared. Allegedly, Felix confessed to the crime in a phone call to his wife, but due to ongoing proceedings with her, the evidence was not introduced during the trial, prosecutors said.

In addition, Felix reportedly did not know the ax was missing initially, and hit Keiser’s tent to teach others a “lesson” not to mess with his belongings.

Judge Dennis McGuire sided with the prosecution’s sentencing request, saying there was not a sentence he could hand down that would take back the damage caused by Felix’s actions.

Felix’s sentence will be followed by three years of mandatory parole. Felix has already served over 1,000 days of his sentence from pretrial confinement.

This was not Felix’s first homicide allegation. In 2011, Felix was charged with manslaughter in Fremont County, but pleaded the charge down to criminally negligent homicide. He was sentenced to six years in prison that same year.