Kreutzer’s Wife, 2 Sons Plead Guilty in Murder

The wife and two sons of Big Oak Ranch owner Herman G. (Rock) Kreutzer pleaded guilty Thursday to charges connected with Kreutzer’s 1984 slaying of his son-in-law.

Jerome Kreutzer, 28, entered a guilty plea to a voluntary manslaughter charge in the shooting death of James Spencer, 32, at the 28-acre entertainment ranch in Dehesa on April 11, 1984. At the same time, his brother, Kurt, 20, and their stepmother, Lynne Kreutzer, 35, pleaded guilty to being accessories to a felony.

On Sept. 3, Rock Kreutzer was convicted of second-degree murder by a Superior Court jury after 10 days of deliberations. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 8 by Superior Court Judge J. Perry Langford. The prosecutor in the Kreutzer cases, Deputy Dist. Atty. Brian Michaelshad, sought a first-degree murder verdict against Rock Kreutzer, whose attorney, J. Logan McKechnie, has indicated that an appeal of the conviction will be sought.

Jerome Kreutzer had been scheduled to go to trial this week. Jerome, who is free on $350,000 bail, had been charged with murdering Spencer, but Langford, in accepting his plea, noted that none of the shots fired from Jerome’s gun had struck Spencer.

Kurt Kreutzer, free on $35,000 bail, and Lynne Kreutzer, free on $5,000 bail, had been charged as accessories in the murder and were scheduled to go to trial after Jerome’s case was completed. Langford scheduled sentencing for the three Kreutzers on Nov. 15 and said Thursday that he would consider reducing Lynne Kreutzer’s conviction to a misdemeanor so she could continue to operate the ranch. Under state law, a convicted felon cannot hold a liquor license.

According to Kurt Kreutzer’s attorney, Leif Tessem, all were guaranteed that they would receive no state prison time when they are sentenced on Nov. 15. Tessem said Jerome Kreutzer may be sentenced to one year in County Jail and Kurt Kreutzer could receive less time than that.

Michael Meany, Lynne Kreutzer’s attorney, said late Thursday that the judge indicated he would probably sentence her to public service work projects or volunteer work.

Spencer’s murder was the culmination of an extended period of violent hostility between Kreutzer and his son-in-law. Spencer had been estranged from his wife, Kreutzer’s 25-year-old daughter, Kelly, for several months before his death, and the Kreutzers have portrayed him as a frequent drug abuser who periodically beat Kelly.

About three weeks before the murder, Spencer and Rock Kreutzer had a lengthy brawl, in which Kreutzer bit off part of Spencer’s finger after Spencer hit him with a board.

According to Kreutzer’s testimony, on the night of the murder he and Jerome picked up Spencer at an El Cajon bar and took him to the ranch, where Spencer intended to pick up some tools. Kreutzer said he shot Spencer only after his son-in-law threatened him with a gun. Authorities did not find a gun at the scene, however.

Larry Stilwell, a part-time security man and maintenance worker at the ranch, testified that he witnessed the murder and heard Spencer pleading with Rock Kreutzer to spare his life as the shots rang out.

The Kreutzer family has owned the Big Oak Ranch for eight years, operating the entertainment park amid periodic controversy. Neighbors complained about unruly crowds, sometimes 10,000 strong, attending ranch concerts by big-name entertainers like the band Alabama. Their complaints led to the revocation in 1984 of the ranch’s entertainment license by the county Board of Supervisors.

Kreutzer defied the order, made several impassioned appearances before the supervisors, sued the county, and eventually won his case and had the license restored. His frustration with county government led him to enter the 1984 race for the District 2 seat on the Board of Supervisors, and although he had been arrested for Spencer’s murder before the June election, he polled 10% of the vote--enough to prevent incumbent Paul Fordem from winning a majority of the votes and a second term on the board. Several months later, Fordem, citing ill health, dropped out of the race and his seat was won by George Bailey.

Since the widely publicized murder, crowds at Big Oak Ranch have been sparse, and there has been a marked reduction in the number of groups renting the ranch for picnics and parties. The Kreutzers have for some time been attempting to sell the property.