Man Guilty of Murder in Burglary Retaliation
A Long Beach man was convicted Tuesday of murdering a Van Nuys man and trying to kill the man’s girlfriend in retaliation for a burglary.
A Van Nuys Superior Court jury deliberated one day before finding Dean Kennedy, 30, guilty of all charges against him. The charges, first-degree murder for financial gain and attempted murder, carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole.
Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Judith Meisels Ashmann scheduled sentencing for Jan. 11.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Phillip H. Rabichow said Kennedy hired two men to kill Thomas Wilson, 35, and Susan Yee, 32, both of Van Nuys, on Dec. 23, 1987. Wilson was shot twice in the head and once in the stomach. Wilson died; Yee was shot but recovered.
Kennedy, the owner of a window tinting business, was involved in illegal activities with Wilson involving credit cards, Rabichow said. Wilson burglarized Kennedy’s home of a $35,000 check and some credit cards, prosecutors said. An angered Kennedy hired John Young, 28, of Long Beach and Kitiona Paepule, 22, of Paramount to kill Wilson and provided a gun and silencer, Rabichow said.
Young, who pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole, testified against Kennedy. Paepule’s trial is pending.
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