Jan and Quiana Pietrzak Murders

In October 2008, police discovered a horrific crime scene in a quiet residential neighborhood in Riverside California.  Marine Sgt. Jan Pietrzak and his new bride, Quiana Faye-Jenkins Piertrzak, were found bloody, beaten, tortured, and murdered.  Who could commit such heinous acts?  Listen and learn how investigators from Riverside County and NCIS agents worked together to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Location

Riverside California, Camp Pendleton located adjacent to Oceanside, California.

Camp Pendleton is the largest west coast base of the United States Marine Corps. It was established in 1942 to train Marines for WWII deployment. The base was named after Major General Joseph Henry Pendleton. He advocated for a permanent base of operations on the west coast of the United States specifically for Marine training. His hard work paid off and Camp Pendleton was formally established in 1944

October 16, 2008

Police descended on a home located in the 3000 block of Bermuda Avenue which was just blocks from the gate at Camp Pendleton. It is a quiet neighborhood in the French Valley in Southern Riverside County.

Officers would discover a horrendous crime scene when they were contacted to do a welfare check. The couple whose home they arrived at belonged to newlyweds, Marine Sergeant Janek (Jan) Pietrzak (24) and his wife Quiana Faye-Jenkins Pietrzak (26).

The young couple was only married for 67 days before their new beginning would end so tragically. 

Quiana’s co-workers contacted police when she failed to show for work that day and no one could get ahold of her. Officer Matthew Hughes was radioed to conduct the check and when he arrived he found the front door wide open. Janek’s supervisor at Camp Pendleton contacted the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department around 9 am. Janek had failed to arrive for work and no one could reach him on his cell.

Officer Hughes called for backup right away.

Officers Enter the Home

When officers entered the home they saw that a purse had been dumped on the floor right inside the front door. They saw cabinet doors opened and the house smelled of a mixture of natural gas and gasoline. When the officers entered the living room they found the lifeless bodies of Quiana and Janek Pietrzak on the floor.

Both had been bound with red duct tape. Janek Pietrzak had been beaten prior to death, he had bruising on his right side and there were shoe patterns on his back. This indicated that he had been stomped on so hard that it left an impression. Both of Janek’s wrists were duct-taped. His right wrist had been secured to his ankles which were both bound with the same red tape.

A sock had been placed in his mouth and was secured with tape. He was found in a kneeling position with his head down facing a pillow.

Quiana’s clothes had been removed and her wrists were duct-taped behind her with the same red duct tape. A sock had been placed over her eyes and secured by the same tape. It appeared that she may have been a victim of a sexual assault. A vibrator and red candle were found “between her legs.” When the vibrator was later tested for DNA it was Quianas’.

Both had been tortured and each shot execution-style in the head at close range. Quiana had been shot in the upper back of her neck. Another gunshot entered the right side of her forehead. Janek had three gunshot wounds to the head; one to the left ear, one in the right cheek, and one to the back of the head.

Home was Ransacked

Police could see that the home had been ransacked. Whoever committed the murders also tried to light the house on fire as there was evidence that several small fires had been started around the home, but none had taken. A gas can was found in the kitchen. Police could also see multiple sets of shoe prints left throughout the house as the perpetrators had dumped alcohol all over the floors trying to light the fires. There were at least three distinct sets of shoe print patterns.

Racial slurs were also spray painted around the house and the letter “C” had been spray-painted on Quiana’s stomach. They were an interracial couple.

Janek & Quiana

Janek Pietrzak was born in Poland and raised in the Bensonhurst area of Brooklyn, New York. His family immigrated to the United States when he was eleven years old. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Janek joined the Marines in 2003. He always wanted to serve in the military and give back to his adopted country.

Janek ended up serving in Iraq from July 2005 to February 2006 as a helicopter mechanic. When he transferred back to the US in 2006 he was stationed at Camp Pendleton and worked as a helicopter mainframe mechanic with the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron.

Quiana Faye-Jenkins met Janek Pietrzak in 2005 through a mutual friend who also attended San Diego State. This was prior to Janek being deployed to Iraq. She had grown up in the San Bernardino area and was a 2005 graduate of San Diego State University where she had earned a masters degree in public health. She worked as a counselor with the Riverside County Infant Care Program with aspirations of studying to become an anesthesiologist.

The young couple had gotten married on August 8, 2008. Her mother said on an episode of NCIS Investigations on CBS that Quiana had set the date so that Janek would always remember their anniversary 8-8-08.

The Investigation

Riverside Sheriff’s Office Investigators Sgt. Gary LeClair & Benjamin Ramirez worked the Pietrzak murders together along with NCIS Special Agents Matthew Timmons and Heidi Schumacher. From the beginning, the investigators knew they were looking for at least three perpetrators based upon shoe impressions found in the entryway to the home.

• Nike Air Force One
• Nike Cortez

There were no shell casings found at the scene which meant that the shooter had either used a revolver (that doesn’t leave casings) or had taken the time to pick up the shell casings. A knife was found on a table in the living room. There were also opened bottles of alcohol poured on the floor.

The investigators noted that Quiana’s wedding and engagement rings were missing and Janek’s expensive Movado watch and a diamond pearl necklace were also gone. Also missing were an earring and bracelet set, a silver men’s bracelet with black inlay, a man’s gold chain with a pendant attached, and a woman’s gold necklace with a three diamond pendant.

In the master bedroom, NCIS Investigators noticed that Janek’s seabag, where Marines store their military gear, was still in the closet. They felt that only a person who already had this type of gear wouldn’t bother to steal it.

Investigators found another piece of evidence from an ATM machine that was located less than a half-mile from the back gate of Camp Pendleton in Fallbrook. At 3:20 am on October 16th someone had used Quiana’s pin code to withdraw several hundred dollars from the Pietrzak’s joint account. On the video, the investigators could only see someone wearing a blue bandanna over their face and gloves with the word “Mechanix” written on them.

This ATM machine was on the quickest route someone would take from the Pietrzak house to Camp Pendleton.

Military Connection

The investigators focusing on the military connection looked into Marines who worked with Jan Pietrzak. Two of Janek’s friends told investigators that Janek was a talker who liked to brag about his wife and the life they were building together. He talked openly about his reenlistment bonus of $30,000 and having lots of cash on hand at his house along with all their wedding gifts.

They found that Jan Pietrzak was a friendly talker but also a strict sergeant when it came to his job. He wanted it done right and felt that if they didn’t do it right lives could be at stake. He rubbed some of the newer Marines the wrong way when he got on them for not doing their jobs correctly. These were Marines that Janek supervised.

One name kept coming up during the investigation and that was Lance Corporal Tyrone Miller. He was under Janek’s supervision and they often butted heads.

October 24, 2008

Janek and Quiana are buried together in a full military funeral with a 21 gun salute on October 24, 2008. Their parents decided to bury them together since they started out their life together and would always be together in death.

October 28, 2008

Lance Corporal Miller (20) is brought in for questioning on October 28, 2008. He denies any animosity between himself and Sgt. Pietrzak claiming he was a mentor towards him for the past nine months. Miller said he was with his wife and two kids at their home on base during the time of the murders.

Investigators kept pushing and Miller began changing his story. Initially, his story was he had never been in Janek and Quiana’s home. Then he had been there months ago along with his wife. Finally he had been out with friends and they were driving by the Pietrak’s house about two weeks ago – around the time of the murder.

Investigators asked Miller what he liked to wear when he got together with friends. He said, “you know, hoodies, baggy shirts, blue bandannas.” When asked about what type of shoes he likes to wear he says “probably Jordans and Chucks, Air Force Ones”. This was the same brand that left a tread pattern at the crime scene.

Investigators let Miller go, but had enough to get a search warrant for his home.

Miller in Custody

When investigators arrived no one answered the door even though they were inside. Police rammed in the door and entered the home. Miller was backing down the hallway towards a bedroom. He grabbed his toddler daughter and held her up as a shield.

Finally, he put her down. Once Miller and his wife were secured the investigators began their search. It would not take that much effort to find evidence linking Miller to the murders of Janek and Quiana. A blue bandanna was found in the laundry room. A piece of paper with the Pietrzak’s address was found under the sofa cushion in the family room. Two debit cards with Quiana’s name were found on a table in the master bedroom.

Also found in the master bedroom was a gold bracelet with a black inlay that was inscribed with Quiana and Janek’s names, along with a man’s wedding ring and gold necklace with a pendant attached. Jan Pietrzak’s dress blue uniform was found hanging in the Miller’s closet.

Four shell casings were found in a plastic bag. They also found numerous handguns and pistols along with a shotgun. One of them turning out to be the murder weapon, a Beretta 92 FS 9mm pistol. In a black backpack, investigators would find blue bandannas and Mechanix brand gloves. And a pair of sneakers that would match one of the footprints left at the crime scene.

Investigators also found numerous other items, such as id cards and jewelry indicating may have been more robberies.

What surprised investigators’ was that Miller had hours before they showed up with their warrant to hide or destroy any evidence that would implicate him in the murders, but he didn’t. Lance Corporal Tyrone Miller was placed into custody.

Miller Confesses

After about one hour of being confronted with all the evidence that the police collected he broke and told investigators his part in the murders while clearly minimizing his role. Miller says that it was only supposed to be a robbery that he and two other Marines, Emrys John (18) and Kevin Cox (20) had planned. Miller claims that he only took the ATM card and jewelry and that he “beat the shit” out of Sgt. Pietrzak.

He admitted to spray painting the racial slurs to make it look like a racially motivated crime. He denied shooting Janek and Quiana and placed that blame solely on Emrys John.

Accomplices Are Questioned

Kevin Cox, an electrical technician in Janek’s squad and Emrys John who worked under Cox were brought in. The investigators discovered there was a fourth Marine involved, Private Kesaun “Psycho” Sykes (21) a clerk with an artillery squadron. Cox and Sykes admitted their involvement, but denied shooting the newlyweds and also minimized their involvement.

Emry John’s barracks were searched on October 30, 2008. Investigators would find a blue bandanna under his bed along with black gloves in a backpack. They would also find Nike Cortez sneakers. They had the same tread pattern as the impressions found on Janek’s back from when he had been stomped on. Blood splatter found on the sneakers would match Janek’s DNA.

Melissa Buck’s Apartment was searched on November 2, 2008. She shared the apartment with Kesaun Sykes and his girlfriend. Melissa was dating Kevin Cox. Melissa discovered that Kevin was married and had children around the time of the murders.

Investigators found the following items. A two-piece wedding ring set identified by Quiana’s mother as belonging to Quiana was found laying out on a countertop. In the bathroom, more jewelry was found that belonged to Quiana. A pearl ring and a thumb drive were found on the nightstand in Kesaun’s bedroom. In a hallway closet, investigators found a jewelry box with stationary in it with letterhead from Quiana’s work.

Another Home Invasion

On September 19, 2008, another home invasion occurred. Eric Thomason, his girlfriend, Nancy Balcombe, and their child were at their apartment in Oceanside when a young black male wearing a blue bandanna over his face entered holding a gun. He told Eric to get down on the floor on his stomach.

Then three more black males, one white male, and a black female entered the apartment. The group began to ransack the apartment. They asked for Eric to supply them with cocaine and guns which they believed he had.

Nancy, was in bed when the group entered their apartment. She was awoken when she felt someone touching her breast. When she opened her eyes she saw a black male pointing a gun at her face. She was brought downstairs to see Eric being kicked, stomped on, and pistol-whipped – so hard that it broke one of his teeth.

Items taken from Eric and Nancy’s apartment were Eric’s laptop, an Xbox gaming system, and video games. Nancy’s jewelry box, a thumb drive, and $1,500 in cash were also taken.

Investigatore Identify a Suspect

The investigators were able to identify the white male in the Oceanside robbery as Justin Weissinger. Justin had arrived at Camp Pendleton in January 2008 and became friends with Miller, John, and Kevin Cox. After the Oceanside robbery, the group returned to Melissa Buck’s apartment and split the cash, although Melissa only got $100.

Wessinger told investigators that he was in custody on another matter at the time of the homicides, from October 1st to the 19th. When he returned to work on October 20th he found out about the murders and Miller filled him in on what went down that night. He identified Emery John as the shooter and indicated that the group had tried to burn down the house by pouring alcohol and some type of sugar mixture on the floors, but it just wouldn’t catch.

Miller also told him that they had picked up the shell casings. Wessinger discovered that the Beretta 92FS handgun, which he owned and left in a backpack at Miller’s residence before being detained on October 1st, was the murder weapon.

Kevin Cox Interview on October 30, 2008

At first, Kevin denied even being with Miller or the other guys saying he was with “Juanita”, but couldn’t remember her address. He was dating Melissa Buck at the time of the murders and was also married with children.

Then he admitted that Miller, John, and another man known as “Psycho” i.e. Kesuan Sykes went to Pietrzak’s home, but he was “really fucked up” by the time they got there. At first, he claimed that he stayed in the truck until he heard gunshots and then he went inside and helped carry out the bags. Later he admitted that he had been the one to ring the bell and get Jan Pietrzak to turn off the alarm and answer the door. He claims he went back to the truck until he eventually went back in to help carry out the stolen belongings.

Night of October 15, 2008

According to Melissa Buck, Miller, Cox, John & Sykes had left her apartment between 10 and 11 pm and returned closer to 4 am carrying a shotgun and smelling like gunpowder. They had all planned to rob the Pietrzak residence, but when they were unable to sneak into the home they sent Cox to the door to see if Janek would answer it.

The others laid in wait wearing the blue bandannas and gloves. When Janek answered the door they rushed him and quickly hogtied him and put a sock in his mouth as a gag and eventually did the same with Quiana once she was brought downstairs.

After 90 minutes when they couldn’t find the money they thought they would find they began to torture the couple until they got Quiana’s ATM pin number. Janek was stomped on by the group as was evidenced by the marks left on him.

After removing the stolen goods to a vehicle they had parked outside they returned. That is when Miller and Sykes began to sexually assault Quiana in front of Janek Pietrzak. After sexually assaulting Quiana with a sex toy on a table, while her husband was made to watch, Johns used a couch cushion as a form of silencer and shot both Janek and Quiana in the head twice with a 9mm handgun. Quiana was shot last.

Then they tried to set small fires around the home in hopes of covering up their crimes. In the end, they decided to spray paint the racial slurs to make it look like a hate crime. Ninety minutes after they first entered they left Sgt. Pietrzak’s bloody, beaten, and bound while Quiana was left naked and bloody in the living room of their home.

Another Motive?

Investigators discovered that two days prior to the murders Jan Pietrzak told Miller that there was no chance of him being promoted to Corporal because he didn’t feel he had earned that distinction yet based upon his performance. At least this is what Miller claimed in court.

Trials

Miller, Cox, Johns, and Skyes were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances as the murders were committed in the course of a robbery and sexual assault.

All pleaded not guilty on November 20, 2008. All were dishonorably discharged from the Marines. On February 2, 2009, the district attorney gave notice that he planned to seek the death penalty against all four defendants. Prosecutor Daniel DeLimon set out to show the juries the double lives that these Marines had lead. They were soldiers during the day and criminals at night committing numerous home invasions and burglaries throughout the Riverside area.

Preliminary Hearing 

The preliminary hearing occurred in the spring of 2009 to determine if there was enough evidence for the four to go to trial.

Melissa Buck testified after being granted immunity. At first, she denied being given any jewelry or overhearing anything. The judge then allowed the prosecutor to play taped interviews Buck had given. In the tapes, she told investigators what she saw and heard the night of the murders and that she was given jewelry by Cox upon their return to her apartment. What she heard was one of the defendants saying “good job E you earned your stripes.” Buck claimed that she was lying then, but telling the truth now.

A preliminary hearing had to be suspended when Kesaun Sykes stood up in the middle of the hearing and began urinating and flinging droplets around the courtroom claiming that he was trying to banish unseen demons. The judge halted the proceedings and ordered a psychiatric evaluation of Sykes.

His mental competency hearing began on May 24, 2011. On May 28, 2011, after two hours he was found to be mentally fit. So the judge ordered proceedings to continue for all four defendants.

First Trials

In March 2013 the first three defendants went on trial. Tyrone Miller and Emry John had the same jury. Kevin Cox had his own jury due to the lengthy initial interview he gave to investigators. Kesaun Sykes’ trial would come later as there was limited room in the courthouse.

All three faced the death penalty and were charged with 1st-degree murder, robbery, sexual assault, and two counts of special circumstances – murder during the commission of a robbery. All of it was premeditated with Tyrone Miller being the mastermind. Emry John was the shooter. Kevin Cox played his part by getting Jan Pietrzak to answer the door so they could all gain entry.

Evidence presented at trial included blood found on Emry John’s shoes which had Janek’s blood on them. The shoe prints matched shoes all three defendants owned.

The prosecutor was able to bring in the Oceanside apartment invasion/robbery that occurred a little over a month prior to the Pietzrak’s murders as it had similarities to the current case but was not allowed to bring in other robberies the group was suspected of committing in the area.

A fellow Marine testified that shortly after the murders Miller and John confessed to their involvement and John confessed to being the shooter. This testimony had come from Wessinger, who was a friend of Tyrone Miller. He had accompanied Miller and the others on previous burglaries and home invasions.

Shocking Evidence

One of the more shocking pieces of evidence was something that Emrys John (18) had posted on his MySpace page before Janek and Quiana were executed.

“Chillin waitin 4 da killin”

The motive was to get a big payoff by stealing the wedding gifts Janek had talked about and money they thought was in the home. They also wanted to get revenge on Janek for being tough on them.

Tyrone Miller was the only one to take the stand where he changed his story to now say that the murders and robbery had not been the plan. The only plan was to confront Sergeant Pietrzak and it spiraled out of control. He claimed that when Janek Pietrzak told him that he wouldn’t be getting his promotion he went home and drank two bottles of hard liquor and then wanted to go speak with him about it.

Only he took three men with him and firearms.

The defenses of each of the men tried to argue that their client didn’t really play a major role in the home invasion/murders and should be spared from the death penalty. After four months and less than three days of deliberations, the jury’s came back with verdicts. All guilty, each of them was convicted of first-degree murder. Emrys John was convicted as the actual shooter. Tyrone Miller alone was convicted of sexually assaulting Quiana – sexual penetration with a foreign object. Emrys John and Tyrone Miller were sentenced to death. Kevin Cox was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

One Last Trial

In August 2014  Kesaun Sykes, now 24 went on trial. During the trial, Kesaun, whose nickname was Psycho, admitted to cutting off Quiana clothes but downplayed the rest of his involvement. He was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and one count of sexual assault after less than two hours of jury deliberations. He was sentenced to death.

Where it stands today:

All appeals have been denied so far with three of the defendants on California’s death row.

• Kesaun Sykes – Prison Inmate Pen Pals and Inmate Personal Profiles » KESAUN SYKES

Resources

• Execution-style slayings of Marine sergeant, wife, involved “torture, greed, double lives”
• Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
• Murder of Jan Pawel and Quiana Jenkins Pietrzak
• A FEW ‘BAD’ MEN
• Ex-Marines Sentenced in Murders of Marine Sgt. and Wife
• 4th ex-Marine convicted of murder in 2008 slayings of Marine, wife
• Murder of Jan Pawel and Quiana Jenkins Pietrzak
• Confession in torture, slay of Brooklyn-raised Marine sergeant and wife
• People v. Cox, E059481
• Final Arguments Set in Trial of Man Accused of Killing Marine, Wife
• FRENCH VALLEY: Marine charged in couple’s slaying testifies
• FRENCH VALLEY: Parents of slain woman testify in ex-Marines’ trial
• Girlfriend testifies in hearing for four Camp Pendelton Marines accused of murder, se
• Woman implicates 4 men in deaths of Marine, wife
• Ex-Marine Kesaun Sykes Urinates In Courtroom

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