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Marine, wife found dead in California home
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer, MarineTimes
Posted : Sunday Oct 19, 2008 15:08:47 EDT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — A Marine and his wife were found Wednesday shot to death in their Winchester, Calif., home, and Riverside County homicide investigators are asking for help from the public to track down the killer or killers.

Marine Corps officials on Friday identified the victims as Sgt. Jan Pawek Pietrzak, 24, and his wife, Quiana Faye Jenkins-Pietrzak, 26. The victims suffered gunshot wounds to the head, according to autopsies conducted Thursday, officials with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said on Friday.

“The suspect[s] had lit a fire in the residence that caused little damage,” Lt. John Schultz, a sheriff’s department spokesman, said in a news release. “It appears the fire was set in what was an unsuccessful attempt to burn evidence.”

Investigators found fingerprints and other evidence at the home, Schultz said, and are scouring databases in hopes of getting leads on who killed the couple. Officials didn’t provide a possible motive for the murders.

Pietrzak, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., was a helicopter airframes mechanic with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 164, which is based at the Camp Pendleton air station, said Capt. Staci Redding, a 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing spokeswoman.

The Pietrzaks were found after the sheriff’s department was asked to check on the home after one of the victims didn’t show up for work. Deputies found the front door ajar when they arrived at the house, and a man and woman dead inside. Investigators said they found no evidence of forced entry.

The couple lived in the newer neighborhood of French Valley, a growing bedroom community about 30 miles northeast of Camp Pendleton. Neighbors told The Californian newspaper that the couple was recently married and moved into the house several months ago.

Pietrzak enlisted in 2003 and returned from a seven-month deployment to Iraq in February 2006. His military awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Certificate of Commendation and Letter of Appreciation.