Testimony continues in the trial of for ex-Marines charged with killing sergeant, wife in French Valley

10:00 PM PDT on Tuesday, June 30, 2009

By SARAH BURGE
The Press-Enterprise


The hearing to determine whether four former Marines will stand trial in the slaying of their sergeant and his wife in French Valley ground through its fourth day Tuesday with continued testimony from another ex-Marine who apparently drew the attention of investigators by accidentally shooting one of the defendants.

Sgt. Jan Pietrzak, 24, and his wife Quiana Jenkins-Pietrzak, 26, were found bound and shot to death in their living room Oct. 15. Jenkins-Pietrzak had been sexually assaulted, and someone had tried to set fire to the home. Although racist words were painted at the crime scene, investigators concluded that robbery, not race, was the motive for the killings. All four defendants are black, as was Jenkins-Pietrzak. Jan Pietrzak was white.

Emrys John, 19, Tyrone Miller, 21, Kevin Cox, 21, and Kesaun Sykes, 22, are each charged with two counts of murder and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. John is charged as the shooter. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty.

The picture that prosecutor Daniel DeLimon has painted so far is one of sloppy killers who left footprints at the scene, talked about the killings afterwards to friends and kept items used in the killings and items stolen from the victims.

Investigators testified Tuesday that an ATM card belonging to one of the victims was recovered from a defendant's home and had been used at an ATM near Camp Pendleton the day the Pietrzaks were found dead. Surveillance footage showed a person whose face was covered with a bandana making the transaction.

Justin Weissinger, a former Marine who admitted to committing burglaries with some of the defendants, described how he accidentally shot Miller in the back while he, Miller and John were riding around in San Diego County with loaded guns after the Pietrzaks were killed. Weissinger said he was in the back seat when he dropped his handgun and the weapon went off. Together they concocted a story that a group of Hispanic men had shot Miller, Weissinger said.

The shooting drew the attention of Riverside County sheriff's investigators working on the Pietrzak case.

Having found racist words painted at the Pietrzak home, sheriff's investigators were prompted to question Miller when they heard a black Marine had been shot, Investigator Ben Ramirez testified earlier in the hearing. Ramirez said they wanted to know if the shooting of Miller was racially motivated and might be connected to the killings.

Another sheriff's investigator is expected to testify when the hearing continues in August that the defendants confessed to investigators that they were involved in the homicides.

Pietrzak was a helicopter airframe mechanic based at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar. Miller and John had been assigned to his unit.

Reach Sarah Burge at 951-375-3736 or sburge@PE.com

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