Ellenwood Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Brutal Knife Attack on Step-Father and Friend
On Friday, November 1, 2024, Jarvis Oneal Cloption, 53, of Ellenwood, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including Abuse of an Elder Person and Aggravated Assault, in connection with the 2020 knife attacks on his 72-year-old stepfather and his stepfather’s 52-year-old friend. DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Yolanda Parker-Smith accepted the plea agreement, sentencing Cloption to 20 years in prison.
The incident occurred on September 4, 2020, in his stepfather’s home on Boulder Run Trail in Ellenwood, where Cloption was staying after his release from prison. At around 1 a.m., Cloption attacked his sleeping stepfather with a knife, demanding money. When his stepfather pleaded, “Don’t kill me,” Cloption began stabbing him in the face, neck, and under the arm, before throwing him to the ground and taking his wallet.
A friend of Cloption’s stepfather, also staying in the house, heard the struggle and attempted to intervene but was also attacked, suffering stab wounds to the face, arm, and back of the head. Both men were hospitalized for their injuries following the attack, with the stepfather taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and the friend to Atlanta Medical Center.
The case was handled by the Crimes Against Elder Persons and Adults with Disabilities Unit, with Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Franklin Engram, Senior Assistant District Attorney Laura Alford, and a team from the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, led by District Attorney Sherry Boston. Former DeKalb County Police Detective J. Hayes conducted the initial investigation.
