4th ex-Marine convicted of murder in 2008 slayings of Marine, wife

A fourth ex-Marine was convicted of murder Tuesday in the 2008 slayings of a Marine sergeant and his wife at their home in Riverside County, prosecutors said.

Kesaun Kedron Sykes, 27, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances for participating in the killing of Marine Sgt. Jan Pietrzak, 24, and his wife, Quiana Jenkins-Pietrzak, 26, in Winchester, Calif., in October 2008, according to a statement from the Riverside County district attorney’s office.

Jurors took less than two hours to reach a verdict, according to the statement. Sykes, who is eligible for the death penalty, will be sentenced later this month.

Sykes was the last of a group of Marines found guilty of murder. Last June, jurors found Kevin Cox, 26; Emrys John, 24; and Tyrone Miller, 26; guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. A jury sentenced Cox to life in prison without parole while another set of jurors sentenced John and Miller to death.

Sykes, Cox and John were privates; Miller was a lance corporal. Cox, John and Miller had been stationed with Pietrzak at Camp Pendleton.

Along with Sykes, they broke into the couple’s home as part of a robbery plot and bound and gag the couple. Pietrzak was made to watch as the men raped Jenkins-Pietrzak. Later, the group shot both him and his wife in the head.

At the time of their deaths, Pietrzak served at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego. Jenkins-Pietrzak was a counselor with the Riverside County health department.

Contact Matt at matt.hansen2@latimes.com or @mtthnsn.