KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI — A man was sentenced to decades in prison for killing his neighbor after losing his self-defense argument.

Eric Andrew Newman testified during a trial he shot and killed his neighbor, Ronald Erickson, in Schoolcraft Township on Sept. 29, 2024, out of fear.

On Monday, Oct. 20, he was sentenced to 20 to 30 years in prison for second-degree murder. He was sentenced to two years in prison for felony firearm, which will be served consecutive to the murder sentence.

A jury found him guilty of second-degree murder and felony firearm in August, despite Newman’s self-defense claim.

“He was going to attack me or somebody,” Newman said from the witness stand.

The killing happened at 10:33 p.m. Sept. 29, 2024, at 760 East VW Ave.

The two men once got along as neighbors in S

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