A Reading man avoided the possibility of being sentenced to death after he admitted Wednesday to the fatal shooting of an Allentown businessman during a Craigslist car deal.

Tyrell Young

Tyrell Young pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, a person not to possess a firearm and receiving stolen property in connection with the April 2014 killing of 41-year-old Eric Ervin in East Allentown.

Prosecutors had said they would seek the death penalty against Young if he were convicted of first-degree murder.

Under the deal, Young was instead sentenced to 30 to 60 years in state prison. Young was on parole at the time of the murder for a Northampton County carjacking, and will also have to serve the remaining nine years in that case.

Judge James Anthony recommended Young not be paroled at all, and serve the entire 60 years in prison.

The sentence came after a handful of Ervin's family members, most carrying photographs, tearfully described the gentle giant taken so suddenly from their lives.

Richard Ervin has been counting the days since Eric, his first-born son, was killed -- 657 days as of Wednesday. When the elder Ervin woke up on Wednesday, he thanked God he wouldn't have to count anymore since Young would be pleading guilty.

"Then I realized, I'll have to count till I'm gone," he sobbed. "I miss him so much. I don't know how to go on."

Ervin's mother, Linda, wore a T-shirt from her son's business to court. She spoke through sobs as she described the earlier death of her daughter, Crystal, and then the stunning blow of Eric's murder.

Linda Ervin said she was able to say good-bye to her daughter, but never had the chance with Eric.

"Why didn't you let my son go?" Linda Ervin asked Young. "Why you had to do this, I don't understand. ... I hope you rot. ... You have devastated us. We're destroyed."

Young apologized to the family, and said there was a confrontation before the shooting but that he wasn't using that as an excuse.

Defense attorney Earl Supplee said Young suffers from paranoia, and brought a gun to the car deal after Ervin insisted on Young paying cash.

Young "lost it" in the trailer and shot Ervin, Supplee said.

Prosecutors said Young shot Ervin the night of April 8, 2014, during a deal to purchase Ervin's BMW. Ervin's body was found early the next morning at Aces High Auto Detailing, his business in the 600 block of Nelson Street in Allentown.

The Lehigh County Coroner's Office said Ervin died of a gunshot wound that entered his shoulder and exited his neck, ruling his death a homicide.

Ervin's girlfriend reported him missing at 1 a.m. April 9, 2014; his body was found in a trailer at his business and a shell casing was recovered at the scene.

After Ervin's body was discovered, police put out an alert for a silver BMW. The car was stopped in Reading and Young was driving, police said.

Young's defense attorneys said at trial they would have introduced evidence of Young's mental health diagnosis: schizoid personality disorder, paranoia, depressive personality traits.

Supplee said the plea deal was the appropriate resolution in the case.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.