Crime & Safety
Murrieta Man Who Killed His Grandmother to Spend Decades in Prison
Kyle Roger McLean was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison on Friday for the July 2013 death of Catherine Sutton.
By City News Service:
A drug user who killed his 71-year-old grandmother during an argument at her Murrieta home was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life in prison.
Kyle Roger McLean, 23, was found guilty last month of first-degree murder for the July 2013 death of Catherine Sutton.
Along with the murder count, McLean was convicted of sentence-enhancing allegations of committing a felony against a victim over 70 and committing a crime while on bail. But provisions of voter-approved Proposition 47, which overhauled sentencing guidelines as of Jan. 1, prompted Riverside County Superior Court Judge Stephen Gallon to dismiss the bail enhancement, and he set aside the elder abuse enhancement based on legal precedents that found the allegation in conflict with a murder conviction.
The mandatory sentence for first-degree murder is 25 years to life.
RELATED ON PATCH:
- Judge Says Man Must Stand Trial in Grandmother’s Death
- Police Have ‘Exhausted’ Leads in Locating Body of Missing Grandmother
- Friend in Grandmother Murder Case Sentenced to 9 Months in Jail
- Judge to Decide if Murrieta Man Will Face Trial For the Murder of His Grandmother
- UPDATED: Grandson, Alleged Accomplice Plead Not Guilty to Homicide Charges in Case of Missing Murrieta Woman
- UPDATED: 2 Arrested in Disappearance of 71-Year-Old Murrieta Woman
The only witness to Sutton’s killing was the defendant, who testified that he lost control during a heated exchange with his grandmotherr. According to McLean, he recalled knocking her to the ground.then blacked out.
He said he was high on methamphetamine and was not aware that he had inflicted fatal injuries. He admitted transporting Sutton’s body to a bluff overlooking Yucaipa, where he threw it into a ravine.
The woman’s remains have never been recovered, and despite requests from the prosecution and the victim’s loved ones Friday, McLean still refused to disclose the location.
In September 2013, a friend of the defendant, 20-year-old Neal Michael Erickson, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact, as well as misdemeanor vandalism.
Erickson testified that he had seen the victim’s body stuffed in the back of McLean’s car. According to the witness, it happened the same day -- July 11 -- that he had been arrested for graffiti vandalism for marking up a wall outside Sutton’s two-story house at 27618 Graystone Lane. Erickson said that McLean believed his grandmother had reported the vandalism to police.
Erickson admitted accompanying McLean to purchase bleach and other products to clean up the crime scene, but said he refused to do anything hands- on. According to the witness, he was under the influence of drugs much of the time and did not ask how or where McLean dumped the remains.
Murrieta police investigators said McLean had his own room at Sutton’s house. Officers went to the location to check on the woman after one of her daughters -- McLean’s aunt -- reported her missing on July 14.
Officers found blood smears and other evidence of foul play. An undisclosed quantity of methamphetamine was seized from McLean’s bedroom, where investigators also found the victim’s credit cards.
According to court records, McLean was arrested on June 24, 2013, for being in possession of controlled substances and drug paraphernalia. He was free on bond at the time of his arrest for murder.
