Marine sergeant and wife's killing discussed, defendants' court record say

10:00 PM PST on Wednesday, November 5, 2008

By TAMMY J. McCOY
The Press-Enterprise

Two Camp Pendleton-based Marines talked about whether they should kill a fellow Marine and his wife before fatally shooting them inside their Winchester home, court records released Wednesday said.

Four Marines are charged with murder in connection with the deaths of Sgt. Jan Pietrzak and wife Quiana Jenkins-Pietrzak.

The documents filed in support of arrest warrants for the four men were released as charges were filed that make all four eligible for the death penalty.
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Defendants, from left, Kevin Darnell Cox, Emrys Justin John, Tyrone Miller and Kesaun K. Sykes.

The men, who range in age from 18 to 21, were charged with two counts of murder, commission of a murder during a robbery and committing multiple murders for the Oct. 15 slayings of Pietrzak, 24, and his 26-year-old wife, according to court records.

Both were shot in the head, their bodies bound and gagged inside their Bermuda Street home. Riverside County sheriff's deputies were called to check the house by his employers after he failed to show up for work at Camp Pendleton, according to a sheriff's news release.

Based on the Riverside County district attorney's policy, the decision to pursue or forgo the death penalty could be made in about 90 days.

Court records cite Lance Cpl. Tyrone Miller, 20, as telling investigators that the four arrived at the Pietrzak home and he pointed a shotgun at the sergeant, then went inside.

Miller and Lance Cpl. Emrys Justin John, 18, worked in Sgt. Pietrzak's unit, court records state. The other two defendants Pvt. Kevin Darnell Cox, 20, and Lance Cpl. Kesaun K. Sykes, 21, were also there, according to court records.

John and Miller later discussed whether or not to kill the couple, according to documents filed in support of an arrest warrant. Miller told authorities that John did the shooting, the records stated.

In his interview, John said he and Miller were both armed. He then ended the interview, the records state. John is the only defendant charged with using a gun.

In addition to the defendants' statements, investigators also found several pieces of physical evidence linking the men to the Pietrzak home.

Shoe prints from the crime scene matched impressions from shoes found in Cox and John's barracks, according to court records. Property belonging to the Pietrzaks was found in Sykes' home and he admitted taking things from the Bermuda Street house, the records said.

The men were also charged with a criminal enhancement of sexually assaulting Jenkins-Pietrzak.

Sykes is scheduled to be arraigned today at the Southwest Justice Center in French Valley. He is being held at the Southwest Detention Center and is ineligible for bail.

The other three defendants being held at Camp Pendleton have been turned over to the custody of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Reach Tammy McCoy at 951-375-3729 or tmccoy@PE.com