Verdict to be announced in Marine’s double-murder trial

Averdict will be read Wednesday in the trial of one offour Marines accused of killing a young sergeant and his wife in French Valley.

The verdict in the trial of Kevin Darnell Cox, 25, who is accused in theOct. 15, 2008, slayings of 24-year-old Janek Pietrzak and his 26-year-oldwife, Quiana Faye Jenkins-Pietrzak, had been scheduled to be read Tuesdayafternoon, but a judge opted to delay the verdict until Wednesday.

Jurors reached a verdict Monday after less than two days of deliberations.

A separate jury began reviewing evidence today in the trial of Cox’s co-defendants, 25-year-old Tyrone Miller and 23-year-old Emrys Justin John.

All three of the Camp Pendleton-based Marines, along with 25-year-oldKesaun Kedron Sykes, could face the death penalty if convicted of first-degreemurder and special circumstance allegations of killing during the course of arobbery and taking multiple lives in the same crime. Sykes is slated to betried in August.

Closing arguments in Cox’s trial wrapped up last week. Arguments in thetrial of John and Miller concluded today.

Deputy District Attorney Daniel DeLimon called the accused killers”Marines by day and criminals by night.” According to DeLimon, the fourMarines wanted to get inside the Pietrzaks’ two-story house at 31319 BermudaAve. in French Valley because of greed — and much more.

“This was about having the power to see the fear in somebody’s eyes.It’s about taking pleasure in the sexual humiliation of a woman and tormentingher husband by making him watch,” the prosecutor said.

DeLimon quoted one of the defendants describing the 90-minute ransackingof the victims’ property and abuse of the couple as “party time.”

According to DeLimon, Cox attempted to minimize his participation in theslayings. But the statements he made to friends afterward and the testimonyof Miller revealed that Cox was an active perpetrator, according to theprosecutor.

He alleged that Cox helped pummel Pietrzak and was delegated with theresponsibility of binding the couple to immobilize and silence them. Cox alsoplanted false evidence in an attempt to throw off authorities, directing hisassociates where to paint epithets such as the “n” word to make it appear asthough the crime was racially motivated, according to DeLimon.

Quiana was black, and her husband, a native of Poland, was white.

Cox’s attorney, Ryan Markson, argued that his client was a mere followerand went into the crime not realizing what he was getting into.

The attorney said the prosecution was stretching in making Cox, aprivate, appear sophisticated enough to think up the bogus racial component ofthe crime.

“This was not about what Kevin Cox wanted; this was about Tyrone Millerwanting that extra stripe and being told by Sgt. Pietrzak that he wasn’tgoing to get it,” Markson said, referring to a conversation between Miller andPietrzak the day before the killings.

Miller testified that he was displeased with Pietrzak because thesergeant had told the lance corporal that his chances of being promoted tocorporal were nil.

Cox admitted to investigators that he rang the doorbell twice shortlyafter 1 a.m., and Pietrzak came downstairs in a T-shirt and boxer shorts,deactivated his house alarm and opened the front door. The defendants, armedwith shotguns, beat the young sergeant into submission, DeLimon alleged.

According to the prosecutor, Miller and Sykes stripped Quiana and used avibrator they found in the couple’s bathroom to violate her sexually. Johnshot the victims execution-style with a 9mm handgun, DeLimon alleged.

All of the men served in a helicopter maintenance squadron at CampPendleton.