5 years in prison. His legal team worked to lower the sentence, which a judge reduced to just 30 days in the county workhouse. He served 28 days. Sadler was sued for wrongful death by Bellamy's stepson, and was ordered to pay compensation of about $10,000. Death Sadler moved to Guatemala City in 1984. He continued to write and publish his Casca books and produced a never-released self-defense video. On September 7, 1988, he was shot in the head while sitting in a cab in Guatemala City. His manager believed it to be a robbery. Sadler was flown to the United States by friends in a private jet. He underwent surgery at the Nashville Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital, and remained in a coma for about six weeks. After emerging from the coma, Sadler was a quadriplegic and had suffered significant brain damage. He was finally released in January 1989, but his family reported him missing. A dispute over who would be his legal guardian erupted between his wife and mother and resulted in a judge mandating a psychiatric evaluation. A few days later, he was found, in time to be present at a competency hearing. After being moved to the Cleveland VA Hospital for specialized treatment, he was removed from the hospital by two former Green Berets and his mother, Blanche Sadler. After a contentious court battle waged by his wife and children, a court in Tennessee ruled that Sadler be put under the care of an independent guardian. He was moved to the VA Hospital in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in February 1989, but he never recovered from his injury. He died there of cardiac arrest on November 5, 1989, four days after his 49th birthday. Barry Sadler was survived by his wife, Lavona, a daughter, Brooke, and two sons, Thor and Baron. His son, Thor, served in the United States Army as a Military Intelligence Officer. Awards and decorations SSG Sadler's awards include: Discography Albums Singles References External links Ballad of the Green Beret: The Life and Wars of Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler(Stackpole Books, 2017) Official Casca website Barry Sadler, 49, Balladeer, Dies 1940 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American novelists Deaths by firearm in Tennessee American historical novelists American male singer-songwriters American male novelists United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War American singer-songwriters RCA Victor artists Burials in Tennessee American shooting survivors Members of the United States Army Special