Kyle Called a Liar, Given 5 Years in Father’s Death

Over the objections of jurors who had asked for leniency, a judge today sentenced Ricky Kyle to five years in prison for the 1983 slaying of his multimillionaire father, saying the young man lied during the trial, showed a “high degree of cruelty and callousness” and was unremorseful for what he had done.

Speaking before sentencing today, Kyle told the judge in a soft, almost inaudible voice, “I feel remorse over the death of my father and over the fact that I caused that death.”

But Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert T. Altman blasted young Kyle before imposing sentence, saying: “This court did not find the defendant in any way a credible witness during during the course of this trial. . . . The court felt that the evidence showed that the defendant all of his life cheated and stole.”

Convicted Last Month

Kyle, whose first trial ended in a mistrial, was convicted last month of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Henry Harrison Kyle, 60, who was shot in the back after his son awakened him in the middle of the night, telling him that there was a prowler at their Bel-Air mansion.

In reaching that verdict, jurors, several of whom were present in the courtroom today, signaled that they did not believe the defendant intended to kill his father, as the prosecution had alleged in seeking a first-degree murder conviction.

While accepting the jury’s verdict, Altman said he did not agree with all its findings.

Several jurors expressed disappointment with the judge’s conclusions. “We weren’t taken in by Ricky Kyle,” said juror Lorraine Seeley, 54. “We went over the evidence very, very carefully.”

Verdict a Compromise

But another juror, Tony Perea, 29, said the verdict had represented a compromise between those, like himself, who favored first-degree murder and those who wanted Kyle acquitted.

Kyle, 24, who had been free on $100,000 bail during his two trials, was escorted out of the courtroom after sentencing to begin serving his prison term. Altman set bail at $1 million pending a possible appeal, saying, “The court does not believe the defendant is a trustworthy individual.”

Co-counsel Steve Sumner said he had not decided whether to appeal.

Outside the courtroom, Kyle’s mother, Charlotte Whatley, told reporters she had hoped her could avoid a prison sentence. “I thought he had suffered enough,” she said.