RIVERSIDE - A Marine accused of masterminding a home-invasion robbery during which a fellow Marine and his wife were slain testified today that he was heavily intoxicated at the time and felt "completely and utterly destroyed" after coming to grips with what he and his co-defendants had done.

"I tried not to think about it later," said Tyrone Miller, 25. "I remember standing there with a beer in my hand and thinking, 'Man, this really happened."'

Miller, Kevin Darnell Cox, Emrys Justin John and Kesaun Kedron Sykes could face the death penalty if convicted in the Oct. 15, 2008, shooting deaths of 24-year-old Janek Pietrzak and his 26-year-old wife, Quiana Faye Jenkins- Pietrzak.

Miller, Cox, 25, and John, 23, are being tried together. Sykes, 25, has an August trial date.

Miller, who took the stand in his own defense after the prosecution closed its case, denied allegations pointing to him as the ringleader of the deadly home invasion robbery. He testified that he couldn't recall many of the details because of the amount of alcohol he had consumed prior to the crime.

Miller said he drank several beers and part of a bottle of brandy, as well as vodka.

"I remember helping bind up and tape Sergeant Pietrzak," the defendant said. "I didn't want him to keep fighting and follow us out of the house."

Miller said that after the killings, he and his co-defendants drove to the apartment of a woman with whom one of the Marines was romantically involved. He said as the men sat around drinking beer in the predawn hours, a cold reality washed over him.

"'How did this just happen, I was thinking," Miller testified. "You automatically feel bad. It's a kind of remorse and sadness you can't describe. I was crushed, completely and utterly destroyed inside. It wasn't a game. Two lives were gone."

Under cross-examination, Miller acknowledged being displeased with Pietrzak because the young sergeant had told the lance corporal a day earlier that his chances of being promoted to corporal were nil.

Miller would not say that Pietrzak's statement was motivation for the deadly home invasion. However, the defendant said all of the 15 or so Marines in Pietrzak's helicopter maintenance squad at Camp Pendleton had heard the victim "brag" about his belongings, including a new house and car.

"He was living the good life," Miller told an investigator. "He was a cocky little guy."

All of the defendants are charged with first-degree murder and special circumstance allegations of killing during the course of a robbery and taking multiple lives in the same crime.

The trial got underway on April 8.

Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Daniel DeLimon alleges the defendants planned and executed the killings together and shared equal responsibility.

Cox allegedly admitted to sheriff's investigators that he and his co- defendants initially tried to find an unlocked back entrance to the victims' two-story French Valley residence at 31319 Bermuda Ave., but couldn't, opting instead to simply ring the front door bell.

According to Cox's story, he rang the bell twice shortly after 1 a.m., and Pietrzak came downstairs in a T-shirt and boxer shorts.

According to DeLimon, Pietrzak was armed with a knife when he deactivated his house alarm and opened the door. The defendants, armed with shotguns, jabbed the barrels into the victim, moving him back from the door and pummeling him, DeLimon alleged.

For close to 90 minutes, the men ransacked the home, packing stolen items into suitcases and loading them into John's Jeep Cherokee, according to the prosecution.

DeLimon showed the jury photos of the victims, bound and gagged on the living room floor. Quiana's eyes and mouth were wrapped with tape, giving her an appearance that Cox told investigators reminded him of a "mummy."

According to DeLimon, Miller and Sykes stripped the helpless woman and used a vibrator they found in the couple's bathroom to violate her sexually.

Miller allegedly ordered John to execute the victims using a 9mm Beretta handgun, which he did, shooting each of them twice in the head, using cushions to suppress the gunfire, according to DeLimon.

He alleged the defendants attempted to throw authorities off by making it appear as though the slayings had been racially motivated, painting racial epithets throughout the house. Quiana was black, and her husband white, a native of Poland.

Statements of Marines Accused in Slayings to be Played in Court

RIVERSIDE - The videotaped police statements of three men accused in the slayings of a Marine sergeant and his wife will be played tomorrow for jurors.

Kevin Darnell Cox, 25, Emrys Justin John, 23, and Tyrone Miller, 25, could each face the death penalty if convicted in the Oct. 15, 2008, deaths of 24-year-old Janek Pietrzak and his 26-year-old wife, Quiana Faye Jenkins- Pietrzak.

There are two separate juries -- one for Cox, and another for John and Miller -- hearing evidence in the case. A fourth defendant, 25-year-old Kesaun Kedron Sykes, will be tried in August.

All of the men are charged with first-degree murder and special circumstance allegations of killing during the course of a robbery and taking multiple lives in the same crime.

The trial began April 8.

Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Daniel DeLimon alleged the defendants planned and executed the killings together and shared equal responsibility.

Janek Pietrzak was a helicopter mechanic at Camp Pendleton and worked with John and Miller, according to DeLimon. It was unclear why the defendants allegedly targeted the newlyweds. DeLimon said the men later told associates they went to the house expecting to find "money and guns."

Cox allegedly admitted to sheriff's investigators that he and his codefendants initially tried to find an unlocked back entrance to the two-story French Valley residence at 31319 Bermuda Ave., but couldn't, opting instead to simply ring the front door bell.

According to Cox's story, he rang the bell twice shortly after 1 a.m., and Pietrzak came downstairs in a T-shirt and boxer shorts.

According to DeLimon, Pietrzak was armed with a knife when he deactivated his house alarm and opened the door. The defendants, armed with shotguns, jabbed the barrels into the victim, moving him back from the door and pummeling him, DeLimon alleged.

For close to 90 minutes, the men ransacked the home, packing stolen items into suitcases and loading them into John's Jeep Cherokee, according to the prosecution.

DeLimon showed pictures of the victims, bound and gagged on the living room floor. Quiana's eyes and mouth were wrapped with tape, giving her an appearance that Cox told investigators reminded him of a "mummy." According to DeLimon, Miller and Sykes stripped the helpless woman and violated her sexually.

Miller, the ring leader, allegedly ordered John to execute the victims using a 9mm Beretta handgun, which he did, shooting each of them twice in the head, using cushions to suppress the gunfire, according to DeLimon.

He alleged the defendants attempted to throw authorities off by making it appear as though the slayings had been racially motivated, painting racial epithets throughout the house. Quiana was black, and her husband white, a native of Poland.

Fellow Camp Pendleton Marines who either overhead the defendants bragging about the killings or were told directly passed the information to authorities, leading to an investigation, during which numerous items of evidence -- including the dead couple's wedding bands -- were seized at the defendants' residences, according to the prosecution.

All of the men are being held without bail at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.

Prosecutor: Marines Carried out Killings of Sergeant and his bride 'As a Group'

Paul Young

Special to the Valley News

RIVERSIDE - A Marine sergeant and his bride were murdered in their French Valley residence during a home invasion perpetrated by four members of the same squadron to which the man belonged, a prosecutor told a jury today.

"They all invaded this house and committed the robbery as a group," Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Daniel DeLimon said in his opening statement. "They committed these killings as a group."

Kevin Darnell Cox, 25, Emrys Justin John, 23, and Tyrone Miller, 25, could each face the death penalty if convicted in the Oct. 15, 2008, slayings of 24-year-old Janek Pietrzak and his 26-year-old wife, Quiana Faye Jenkins- Pietrzak.

A fourth defendant, 25-year-old Kesaun Kedron Sykes, will be tried in August.

"This young couple was executed inside a house they had just purchased," DeLimon said. "They had been married 68 days. They were hog-tied, bound at the hands and feet, and shot execution-style. Quiana was sexually assaulted in front of her husband."

There are two separate juries hearing evidence in the case -- one for Cox, whose attorneys were expected to make their opening statement on Tuesday, and another for John and Miller.

DeLimon told Cox's jury that the defendant left behind "numerous" clues pointing to his culpability, which he also later confessed to sheriff's investigators.

The defendant's shoe prints were located inside the victims' residence, and his then-girlfriend, Melissa Buck, received Quiana's wedding band and other jewelry as gifts, according to DeLimon.

"He may try to claim he was just a lookout for the others," the prosecutor said. "But there was substantial participation by this defendant."

Janek Pietrzak was a helicopter mechanic at Camp Pendleton and worked with John and Miller, according to DeLimon. It was unclear why the defendants allegedly targeted the newlyweds, though DeLimon said the men later told associates they went to the house expecting to find "money and guns."

Cox told sheriff's investigators that he and his co-defendants initially tried to find an unlocked back entrance to the two-story residence at 31319 Bermuda Ave., but couldn't, opting instead to simply ring the front door bell.

According to Cox's story, he Advertisement

[ Murrieta Volkswagen ] rang the bell twice shortly after 1 a.m., and Pietrzak came downstairs in a T-shirt and boxer shorts. Cox told investigators that he stepped back and let his co-defendants confront the young Marine.

According to DeLimon, Pietrzak was armed with a knife when he deactivated his house alarm and opened the door. The defendants, armed with shotguns, jabbed the barrels into the victim, moving him back from the door, at which point they began to pummel him, DeLimon alleged.

He said bruises in the form of shoe impressions on Pietrzak's back indicate he was kicked and stomped once his attackers got him on the ground.

For close to 90 minutes, the men ransacked the home, packing stolen items into suitcases and loading them into John's Jeep Cherokee, according to the prosecution.

DeLimon showed photos of the victims, bound and gagged on the living room floor. Quiana's eyes and mouth were wrapped with tape, giving her an appearance that Cox told investigators reminded him of a "mummy." According to DeLimon, Miller and Sykes stripped the helpless woman and assaulted her sexually.

Miller, the ring leader, ordered John to execute the victims using a 9mm Beretta handgun, which he did, shooting each of them twice in the head, using cushions to suppress the gunfire, DeLimon alleged.

The defendants attempted to throw authorities off by making it appear as though the slayings had been racially motivated, painting the words "Nigger Lover" in several places throughout the house, even on Pietrzak's body, the prosecutor alleged.

An unsuccessful attempt was also made to set the house ablaze by igniting materials in the kitchen and leaving the gas from the stove running, DeLimon said.

Over the ensuing two weeks, fellow Marines who allegedly overheard the foursome bragging about the killings called the sheriff's department, agreeing to meet with detectives away from the Marine base for fear of retaliation, the prosecutor said.

He said investigators obtained search warrants for the defendants' various living quarters and recovered almost all of the stolen property.

In Miller's Camp Pendleton home, investigators found four spent 9mm bullet cartridges and two 9mm pistols, as well as Pietrzak's dress blue Marine uniform, according to the prosecution.

The trial is expected to last a month, with a penalty phase to follow if the defendants are found guilty of first-degree murder and jurors find true special circumstance allegations of killing in the course of a robbery and taking more than one life in the same crime. The defendants also face a sentence-enhancing allegation that a sexual assault occurred during the robbery.

All of the men are being held without bail at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.

***Previous Story***

Opening statements scheduled for trial of three Marines accused in killing of sergeant and new wife during home invasion

RIVERSIDE - Opening statements are scheduled on Monday for the trial of three Marines accused of killing a sergeant and his wife during a home invasion robbery at the couple's French Valley residence, the District Attorney's Office announced today. Kevin Darnell Cox, 25, Emrys Justin John, 23, and Tyrone Miller, 25, could each face the death penalty if convicted in the Oct. 15, 2008, slayings of 24-year-old Janek Pietrzak and his 26-year-old wife, Quiana Faye Jenkins- Pietrzak.

The trial will start at 9 a.m. at the Riverside Hall of Justice. There will be three separate juries, one for each defendant. Trial proceedings could stretch well into June, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. A fourth defendant, 25-year-old Kesaun Kedron Sykes, will be tried separately and has a trial-setting conference in August. According to Deputy District Attorney Dan DeLimon, Sykes' case was severed from his codefendants because having four juries in one courtroom was considered untenable given the space limitations.

Each of the defendants is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, with special circumstance allegations of killing in the course of a robbery and taking more than one life in the same crime. There is also a sentence-enhancing allegation that a sexual assault occurred during the robbery. According to testimony from a 2009 preliminary hearing, the Camp Pendleton-based Marines forced their way into the victims' two-story home at 31319 Bermuda Ave. in French Valley in the middle of the night, after knocking on the door and pushing past Pietrzak when he answered.

The defendants were allegedly armed with handguns and quickly gained the couple's compliance. Pietrzak served with the men in the same unit. 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 before ransacking 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. Weissinger alleged the men said they positioned the victims on a sofa and shot both in the head twice, using cushions to suppress the gunfire. Why the newlyweds were targeted has not been confirmed, though there were racial overtones. Pietrzak was white, of Polish descent, and Quiana, a San Bernardino native, was black.

Some of the items taken during the robbery 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.

In 2011, Sykes' attorneys claimed he was mentally unfit to stand trial, and a jury was convened to determine whether he was competent. After deliberating less than two hours, the panel ruled he was fit to stand trial. The men are all being held without bail at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.

Jury selection begins for trial of Marines accused of killing French Valley couple

RIVERSIDE - Jury selection got under way today for the trial of three Marines accused of killing a sergeant and his wife during a home invasion robbery at the couple's French Valley residence. Kevin Darnell Cox, 25, Emrys Justin John, 23, and Tyrone Miller, 25, could each face the death penalty if convicted in the Oct. 15, 2008, slayings of 24-year-old Janek Pietrzak and his 26-year-old wife, Quiana Faye Jenkins- Pietrzak. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Christian Thierbach summoned dozens of prospective jurors to his courtroom at the Riverside Hall of Justice for screening as to their availability. Actual juror interviews will not be conducted until nearer the end of the month. There will be three separate juries -- one for each defendant -- so testimony in the case is not expected to begin until April 8. Trial proceedings could stretch well into June, according to the District Attorney's Office. A fourth defendant, 25-year-old Kesaun Kedron Sykes, will be tried separately in August. According to Deputy District Attorney Dan DeLimon, Sykes' case was severed from his codefendants because having four juries in one courtroom was considered untenable given the space limitations. Each of the defendants is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, with special circumstance allegations of killing in the course of a robbery and taking more than one life in the same crime. There is also a sentence-enhancing allegation that a sexual assault occurred during the robbery. According to testimony from a 2009 preliminary hearing, the Camp Pendleton-based Marines forced their way into the victims' two-story home at 31319 Bermuda Ave. in the middle of the night, after knocking on the door and pushing past Pietrzak when he answered. The defendants were allegedly armed with handguns and quickly gained the couple's compliance. Pietrzak served with the men in the same unit. 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 before ransacking 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. Weissinger alleged the men said they positioned the victims on a sofa and shot both in the head twice, using cushions to suppress the gunfire. Why the newlyweds were targeted has not been confirmed, though there were racial overtones. Pietrzak was white, of Polish descent, and Quiana, a San Bernardino native, was black. Some of the items taken during the robbery 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. In 2011, Sykes' attorneys claimed he was mentally unfit to stand trial, and a jury was convened to determine whether he was competent. After deliberating less than two hours, the panel ruled he was fit to stand trial. The men are all being held without bail at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta. To read a previous story, to: http://www.myvalleynews.com/story/33817/