Grandmother Pleads Guilty to Killing Her Son-in-Law

Jo Lula Haynes, the snowy-haired grandmother on trial on charges of fatally shooting Walt Disney Co. executive Kenneth Lisi, accepted a prosecution offer and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Thursday.

The plea ended the trial and made the testimony of her granddaughters, who Haynes said had been molested by Lisi, unnecessary.

Authorities said Haynes, 75, whose trial in the murder of her estranged son-in-law began Tuesday in Van Nuys, faces 19 years to life in prison and may not be paroled before she reaches the age of 86. If convicted of first-degree murder, she would have faced life in prison without parole, authorities said.

“Truthfully, any sentence is a life sentence for her,” said Deputy Dist. Atty. Carole Chizever.

Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Bert Glennon Jr. scheduled sentencing for Jan. 19.

As Haynes entered her plea, the victim’s father and former fiancee, Mary Dirstine, tearfully hugged each other.

“I think anything she serves is going to be a lifetime,” said Ernest Lisi, who testified how he watched in horror as Haynes repeatedly shot his son on Halloween night two years ago. “Everyone’s relieved.”

Kenneth Lisi, 43, was embroiled in a bitter divorce dispute with Haynes’ daughter, Pamela, when he was shot outside the family home in Northridge. Lisi, who was followed by his parents in a separate car the night of the shooting, arrived at the Louise Avenue house to pick up his two young daughters, whose custody he had won 10 weeks earlier.

According to testimony during the two-day trial, Haynes ambushed Kenneth Lisi and shot him three times with a .38-caliber revolver.

Glennon said he would recommend that Haynes be housed in a minimum-security prison close to her family, where she could also receive medical treatment for her bursitis, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Haynes’ lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Michael M. Duffey, said she reached the decision after discussions with family members. Her relatives were divided on whether she should accept the deal, Duffey said.

“Basically, the defendant made the decision,” he said. “She’s comfortable with her decision. She knows it’s going to be controversial with the family members.”

Elisabeth Haynes, one of the defendant’s daughters, said she opposed the decision to strike a deal.

“I think the jury would have found she did it in self-defense and in the defense of others,” she said.

Relatives and friends said marital problems between Pamela and Kenneth Lisi were severe enough that he moved out of the Northridge home in 1992 after nearly 15 years of marriage. The couple and their two girls--who were ages 4 and 11 at the time of the shooting--had shared the home with Haynes.

Eventually, Pamela Lisi made the first of several accusations that Lisi molested his youngest daughter. Authorities said there was no proof of the allegations against Kenneth Lisi, who had filed for divorce.

Nevertheless, Haynes believed Lisi was harming her grandchildren and she decided to do something about it, according to the defense.

Duffey said that if the trial continued the defense would have explored the alleged molestation accusations. The girls and Haynes would have been expected to testify, he said.

* Times staff writers Ann W. O’Neill and Sharon Bernstein contributed to this story.