HOLLYWOOD—A New York man was sentenced on November 18 to 56 years to life in prison for killing his elderly pen pal in Hollywood in 2014, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office announced.
Scott Kratlian, 46, was sentenced by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert Perry. Jurors found the suspect guilty of one count of first-degree murder in October 2015. Kratlian also went by the name Scott Porter, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Harry Major, 82, became pen pals while the defendant was serving a sentence for manslaughter in a New York prison in 1993. After being released from jail, Kratlian came to Los Angeles and stayed with Major for a short-time frame.
Major was murdered by the suspect on February 10, 2014 in his condo located on the 1400 block of North Vista Street. During Kratlian’s trial, evidence depicted blood from the victim was found on Kratlian’s shoes. He was apprehended by authorities on February 18, 2014 and charged with Major’s murder on February 20, 2014.
Canyon News spoke to Greg Risling, Public Information Officer at the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office about the case.
“The cause of death was asphyxiation due to neck compression. The blunt force trauma to the head was a contributing factor,” said Risling.
After three hours of deliberation, the jurors found Kratlian guilty of first-degree murder.
