Second Trial of Kyle in Fatal Shooting of Father Begins

The retrial of Ricky Kyle in the slaying of his multimillionaire father began Tuesday with the prosecution telling the jury that the defendant was motivated by “the basic human emotions of hatred and greed” against a man who sometimes verbally and physically assaulted him.

Kyle, 23, is accused of shooting Henry Harrison Kyle, 60, in the back at close range in the family’s Bel-Air home on July 22, 1983, in order to inherit as much as $50 million. The victim, president of Four Star International Inc., a television and movie production company, had earned a fortune in real estate dealings throughout the Southwest.

The younger Kyle’s first trial ended in a mistrial April 29, 1985, after jurors deadlocked 10 to 2 in favor of conviction.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Stanley M. Weisberg said the new trial, before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert T. Altman, is expected to take from three to four months.

Defense attorneys Steve Sumner and John D. Vandevelde said they will argue again that their client, who is free on $100,000 bail, acted out of self defense after his father fired at him while the two were searching the house for prowlers.