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Thread: Kevin Cox Sentenced to LWOP in 2008 CA Slaying of Jan and Quiana Pietrzak

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    Kevin Cox Sentenced to LWOP in 2008 CA Slaying of Jan and Quiana Pietrzak




    Death penalty sought against 4 Marines

    Prosecutors say they are seeking the death penalty for four Camp Pendleton-based Marines charged in the execution-style killings of a fellow serviceman and his wife.

    Sgt. Jan (yahn) Pietrzak (PEET'-ur-zak) and his wife, Quiana Jenkins-Pietrzak, were found gagged, tied and shot in the head Oct. 15 in the living room of their Winchester home. Investigators say the house had been ransacked and a fire had been set, an apparent effort to destroy evidence.

    A prosecutor says the four defendants are eligible for the death penalty because of the multiple murder and other special circumstance charges they face on top of their first-degree murder charges.

    Pietrzak was stationed at Camp Pendleton, where he worked as a helicopter airframe mechanic and supervised 2 of the defendants.

    http://www.ktvn.com/Global/story.asp?S=9711675

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    Four to stand trial in slayings of Marine, wife

    MURRIETA – A judge decided Wednesday that four men will stand trial in the execution-style slayings last fall of a Miramar Marine sergeant and his wife.
    Judge Judith Clark ruled at the conclusion of a preliminary hearing at the Riverside County Southwest Justice Center that enough evidence exists to try the four men, who were all Camp Pendleton Marines at the time.
    Kevin Cox, Emrys John, Tyrone Miller and Kesaun Sykes are each charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the Oct. 15 shooting deaths of Sgt. Jan Pietrzak, 24, and his wife, Quiana Jenkins-Pietrzak, 26.
    Both had been shot multiple times in the head in their home in Winchester. Jenkins-Pietrzak had been sexually assaulted, and prosecutors said the house had been set on fire to destroy evidence.
    Investigators said the motive was robbery.
    Each man also is charged with special circumstances of multiple murder, murder for financial gain, robbery, burglary and rape by foreign object.
    The Riverside County District Attorney's Office has said it will seek the death penalty for the four, who have all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
    They will be re-arraigned on Aug. 26 at the justice center, Riverside County District Attorney Rod Pacheco said yesterday in a written statement.
    Two of the defendants had worked for Pietrzak, who was ahelicopter-airframe mechanic at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.
    Jenkins-Pietrzak worked for the Riverside County Department of Public Health.

    http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/aug/12/bn12prelim-four-held/?metro

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    Graphic testimony at marine slay trial sends mother of victim running from courtroom

    A gang of marines sexually assaulted the wife of a Brooklyn-raised Marine in front of him before killing both of them - revelations that sent the slain woman's mom fleeing from a courtroom Wednesday.

    The four men used a sex toy to attack Quiana Pietrzak on a table as her bound-and-gagged husband, Sgt. Jan Pawel Pietrzak, watched helplessly in their California home, cops testified.

    The attackers - who thought Jan Pawel Pietrak had a hidden stash of cash - also planned to force the newlywed to dance naked in hopes of getting her husband to "break," police said.

    Tyrone Miller, 21, and Kesuan (Psycho) Sykes, 22, later allegedly joked about attacking Quiana Pietrzak and sodomizing her with the toy.

    "(They) were joking around, laughing, making buzzing sounds," Kevin Cox, 21, told cops, Det. Gary LeClair of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.

    The graphic testimony was too much for Quiana Pietrzak's mother, Faye Jenkins, who left the courtroom with tears in her eyes.

    The men are accused along with Emrys John, 19, of the Oct. 15 murders of the Pietrzaks, who had married just two months earlier.

    Police are testifying at a pretrial hearing for the men, who worked under the command of Jan Pawel Pietrzak at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego.

    The gun-toting men burst into the couple's home in Winchester, Calif., and tied up Jan Pawel Pietrzak, who was raised in Bensonhurst and joined the Marines after the Sept. 11 attacks.

    The suspects believed the couple had a large amount of cash in the house, although it's not clear why.

    Miller and Sykes used a knife to cut the straps off Quiana Pietrzak's nightgown and planned to force her to dance in front of her husband to force him to divulge the location of the cash.

    They instead decided to force the hog-tied husband to watch as they attacked her with the toy on a living room table.

    "Sgt. [Pietrzak] had duct tape over his mouth, and he was making growling sounds," LeClair said.

    The sadistic fiends discussed burning the couple alive, but couldn't start the fire. So they shot them both in the head.

    The four even grabbed milk and juice from the refrigerator as the slain couple lay dead.

    Cops later found stolen items in the accused Marines' rooms at a military base.

    Racial epithets were found spray-painted in the bedroom, a reference to the fact that Jan Pawel Pietrzak was white and Quiana Pietrzak was black.

    Cops believe robbery was the primary motive.

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/08/12/2009-08-12_graphic_testimony_at_marine_slay_trial_sends_mo ther_of_victim_running_from_court.html#ixzz0O5r218 RY

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    Polish official intercedes on behalf of mothers of slain Brooklyn Marine Sgt. Pietrzak and his wife

    By Corky Siemaszko

    The grieving mothers of a slain Brooklyn Marine and his wife have won the support of the Polish government in their push for a face-to-face meeting with President Obama.

    A top Polish official urged the U.S. ambassador in Warsaw to "employ all your personal and institutional authority" to make it happen, according to a letter obtained by The News.

    An Obama sitdown with the mothers of Sgt. Jan Pawel Pietrzak and his slain wife, Quiana, would be an expression of "solidarity of Poles and Americans united together against violations of human dignity," civil rights commissioner Janusz Kochanowski wrote to U.S. Ambassador Victor Ashe.

    The Pietrzaks were murdered on Oct. 15 in their California home allegedly by four other Marines.

    An Iraq War veteran, Pietrzak was born in Poland and raised in Brooklyn. His wife was African-American.

    Police said she was sexually assaulted in front of her hog-tied husband before they both were killed.

    Cops say robbery was the motive, even though the killers left behind racist remarks about the interracial couple.

    Kochanowski's appeal came after the heartbroken mothers wrote their own letter to Obama, saying they want to "talk how the sacrifice of Jan Pawel and Quiana could unite us."

    The White House has not yet responded to their request.

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    August 26, 2009

    Marines formally arraigned in Winchester double homicide

    Staff Report

    Four Marines accused of killing of a Camp Pendleton sergeant and his wife entered pleas of not guilty today during a formal arraignment at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

    Superior Court Judge Judith Clark affirmed murder charges against the Marines on Aug. 13 following a preliminary hearing. The defendants appeared in court again today to enter formal pleas on those charges.

    A trial readiness conference was set for Oct. 23 for all four men.

    Marine Sgt. Jan Pietrzak, 24, and Quiana Jenkins-Pietrzak, 26, were found dead in their Winchester home on Oct. 15, 2008. Both had been shot multiple times in the head and Jenkins-Pietrzak, who prosecutors have said is from San Bernardino County, had been sexually assaulted.

    Lance Cpl. Emrys John of Maryland; Lance Cpl. Tyrone Miller of North Carolina; Pvt. Kevin Cox of Tennessee; and Lance Cpl. Kesaun Sykes of California have pleaded not guilty to murder, robbery and rape.

    Authorities say robbery was the motive.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report

    http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_13209675

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    Ex-Marine's urination, outburst delays court hearing in murder case

    Kesaun Kedron Sykes charged with murder in connection with couple's death


    A former Marine facing the death penalty for the October 2008 slaying of a Winchester couple stood up in court Friday and yelled that demons should be banished as he lobbed his own urine into the courtroom.

    "You demons get out of here," defendant Kesaun Kedron Sykes, 23, called out as he stood in the jury box. "Cleanse this place."

    Sykes put his hand down his orange jail-issued pants, then lobbed urine into the air.

    Deputies in Judge F. Paul Dickerson III's French Valley courtroom immediately ordered Sykes to sit down and be quiet, but he ignored them. Deputies then sprayed him in the eyes with pepper spray and ordered everyone out of the courtroom.

    Sykes and attorneys on both sides of the case were in the courtroom Friday to discuss the status of the case. A trial date has not yet been set.

    Sykes is one of four former Camp Pendleton-based Marines charged with murdering Marine Sgt. Jan Pietrzak, 24, and his wife, Quiana Faye Jenkins-Pietrzak, 26, who were found dead Oct. 15, 2008, in the family room of their Bermuda Street home.

    Sykes and co-defendants Emrys John, 21, Tyrone Miller, 23, and Kevin Cox, 23, are charged with multiple felonies, including two counts of first-degree murder, rape by foreign object and special-circumstance allegations of multiple murders. John has also been charged with using a firearm.

    During a prior hearing, investigators testified about statements the defendants made that painted a picture of what happened at the Pietrzak home.

    The four men, armed with guns, went to the Winchester house where they believed the couple had a lot of money and valuables, Riverside County sheriff's Investigator Gary LeClair had testified. Jenkins-Pietrzak was sexually assaulted in front of her husband in an effort to force him to disclose where they could find cash and other valuables they incorrectly believed the couple had, LeClair had testified.

    After the couple were shot, attempts were made to set the Pietrzaks' two-story home on fire, authorities have said.

    Outside the courtroom Friday, attorneys and Jenkins-Pietrzak's parents and relatives waited for word of what would happen next.

    "We are just shocked," said Jenkins-Pietrzak's mother, Glenda Faye Jenkins.

    She and other family members suspect Sykes' outburst was calculated.

    The hearing was rescheduled.

    http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sw...b73e3a5f6.html

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    EDITED

    A judge suspended criminal proceedings Tuesday against Kesaun Sykes, who used the nickname "Psycho," until he can be evaluated by psychiatrists, The (Riverside, Calif.) Press-Enterprise reported.

    http://www.polijam.com/index.php?opt...3:us&Itemid=29

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    Marine accused of killing Brooklyn-raised soldier who threw urine in court fit to stand trial

    MURRIETA, Calif. - A marine accused of killing a Brooklyn-raised leatherneck and his wife has been found fit to stand trial - despite a urine-throwing tantrum in court last month.

    A court-appointed shrink who evaluated defendant Kesaun Sykes said he is mentally sound, a source told The Daily News.

    "One report came back that he's a malingerer, not incompetent," the source.

    That means Sykes will likely face murder charges, although another psych exam from different doctor was still pending before his hearing Friday.

    Late last month, Sykes stood up in the courtroom, put his hand down his jail-issued orange pants and yelled incoherently as he flung his urine into the air.

    "You demons get out of here," he reportedly said as deputies ordered him to sit down. "Cleanse this place."

    He was subdued with pepper spray and sent for the mental exam.

    Sykes, whose nickname is Psycho, is believed to be the most disturbed of the four marines charged in the horrific torture and murder of Jan Pawel Pietrzak and his wife, Quiana, in October 2009.

    He and the three other Camp Pendleton-based soldiers charged in the case - suspected shooter Emrys John, 21, Tyrone Miller, 23, and Kevin Cox, 23 - allegedly stormed Pietrzak's southern California house with guns looking for a hidden stash of cash.

    They assaulted and hog-tied Pietrzak, 24, and sexually assaulted his 26-year-old wife in front of him before shooting them both in the head using couch pillows as silencers, police said.

    As the slain couple lay dead on the floor, the defendants tried to light the house on fire and fled with some jewelry, Pietrzak's uniform and juice from the refrigerator, cops said.

    A trial date has not been set. The District Attorney is seeking the death penalty.

    Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...#ixzz1F0KnJmo7

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    Marine accused of killing Brooklyn-raised soldier who threw urine in court fit to stand trial

    The mental competency of a urine-flinging, demon-spouting marine accused of killing a Brooklyn-raised leatherneck and his wife is up in the air.

    While one court-appointed psychiatrist found Kesaun Sykes, 23, fit to stand trial, another shrink's evaluation was inconclusive because the defendant wouldn't submit to a battery of tests, a source said yesterday.

    A California judge had ordered Kesaun Sykes, 23, to undergo two psych exams late last month after he lobbed urine and ranted about demons during a court appearance.

    A shackled Sykes was in court again yesterday with his three co-defendants -- fellow soldiers Emrys John, 21, Tyrone Miller, 23, and Kevin Cox, 23 - who stand accused of murdering Jan Pawel Pietrzak and his wife, Quiana, in October 2009.

    A silent Sykes stood in court slumped over and shivering during the 15 minute hearing.

    A judge set another hearing date for March 25, allowing more time to settle the question of Sykes' competency.

    Quiana's mother, Glenda Faye Jenkins, also attended yesterday's hearing.

    "I want this over," she said. "I want justice, period."

    The four suspects allegedly stormed Pietrzak's southern California house with guns looking for a hidden stash of cash.

    They assaulted and hog-tied Pietrzak, 24, and sexually assaulted his 26-year-old wife in front of him before shooting them both in the head using couch pillows as silencers, police said.

    As the slain couple lay dead on the floor, the defendants tried to light the house on fire and fled with some jewelry, Pietrzak's uniform and juice from the refrigerator, cops said.

    A trial date has not been set. The District Attorney is seeking the death penalty.

    http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...rt_fit_to.html

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    Mental competency trial set for man accused of slaying French Valley Marine Sgt., wife

    Jury selection is slated to get under way Monday for the mental competency trial of a U.S. Marine accused with three fellow servicemen of killing a sergeant and his wife at their French Valley home.

    Kesaun Kedron Sykes is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and special circumstance allegations that the killings occurred during a rape and robbery. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

    Charged along with the 24-year-old are Kevin Darnell Cox, Emrys John and Tyrone Miller, all of whom are being held without bail at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.

    Sykes’ attorney, Peter Morreale, is arguing that his client is mentally deficient.

    Morreale and Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Daniel Delimon will present evidence to a jury next week, after which the panel will make a recommendation on competence to Judge Paul Dickerson, who can choose to accept or reject the findings.

    Sykes and the other defendants are accused of fatally shooting Marine Sgt. Janek Pietrzak, 24, and his 26-year-old wife, Quiana Faye Jenkins-Pietrzak, during an Oct. 15, 2008, robbery at the couple’s two-story house at 31319 Bermuda Ave. The woman was also sexually assaulted.

    According to evidence presented during a 2009 preliminary hearing, the four defendants went to the victims’ house late at night, armed with handguns, and forced their way into the residence after Pietrzak answered the front door.

    The sergeant served with the men in the same unit at Camp Pendleton. His wife was a nurse at the base. They had only been married three months.

    Sheriff’s investigators allege the defendants beat, bound and gagged the couple while they ransacked the residence, stealing jewelry and other valuables and stuffing them into suitcases that were loaded into John’s Jeep Cherokee.

    Cox and Sykes allegedly confessed their parts in the deadly attack, each pointing fingers at the other, according to investigators. The pair allegedly cut off Quiana’s nightgown and sexually assaulted her on a table with various objects while her husband was forced to watch, according to testimony.

    A fellow Camp Pendleton Marine, Justin Weissinger, testified that Miller and John detailed their involvement in the slayings during a conversation with him on the base.

    Weissinger alleged the men said they bent the victims over a sofa and shot both in the head twice, using cushions to suppress the sound of gunfire.

    Why the newlyweds were targeted has not been confirmed, though there were racial overtones, with epithets scrawled on a wall in the residence.

    Pietrzak was white, of Polish descent, and Quiana was black.

    Some of the items taken during the home invasion were later recovered from the defendants’ living quarters, according to investigators.

    Cox’s girlfriend testified that he brought two recently fired pistols into her Fallbrook apartment the morning after the slayings.

    http://www.swrnn.com/2011/05/20/ment...rine-sgt-wife/

  10. #10
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    How disgusting is this?? This case definitely deserves the DP! Plus there were probably racial motivations here with the victims being an interracial couple.

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