Retired Marine sentenced to probation for 2022 Ridgecrest death
After he was found guilty by a Kern County jury of involuntary manslaughter for a 2022 Ridgecrest homicide, a retired U.S. Marine was sentenced to two years probation Thursday.
Brian Matthew Coykendall, 31, was originally charged with murder along with co-defendant Erwin Moore, 30, for the suspected killing of Matthew Ian Petersen, 43. Moore was acquitted of all charges.
On March 4, 2022, Petersen was found beaten, tied up and shot in the head, lying on the street in a neighborhood in Ridgecrest.
During the sentencing Thursday, Kern County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Twisselman took several factors into consideration, including Petersen’s “tragic and violent death,” but also acknowledged Coykendall’s post-traumatic stress disorder for his time in the military.
The prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Christine Antonios, said Coykendall’s PTSD was discussed thoroughly throughout the trial. She said it did not affect his decisions on the night of Petersen’s death.
However, Coykendall’s defense attorney, Deputy Public Defender T. Alan Rogers, said while the goal of sentencing was to punish the defendant for his actions, it was also to rehabilitate Coykendall into society.
The judge acknowledged Coykendall’s time in prison throughout the trial, as well as his time in the military.
“All veterans write a blank check to this country in the amount up to and including his life. Mr. Coykendall served his time,” Rogers said to The Californian Thursday after the sentencing.
Twisselman said he appreciated Coykendall’s service but made it clear that it does not justify his actions connected to Petersen’s death. Coykendall wrote a letter to the court stating he was “deeply remorseful” for what happened. Twisselman said it was rare for defendants to take accountability for their actions.
According to the probable cause statement the Ridgecrest Police Department filed with the Kern County Superior Court, Coykendall was dating Petersen’s ex-girlfriend Jessica Adams, also referred to as Eva Adams during the trial. Throughout the proceedings, the attorneys would occasionally reference Petersen as “Big Matt” and Coykendall as “Little Matt.”
Coykendall and Adams were living in Petersen’s house while he was in prison. Petersen went to prison on March 4, 2021, for owning firearms as a felon. He was previously found guilty of multiple charges such as battery of Adams and willful cruelty to Adams’ daughter.
During closing arguments, Rogers argued that Coykendall was trying to protect Adams and her daughter from Petersen when he came home from prison.
Following the sentencing, he told Coykendall: “You have a great opportunity now to turn your life around.”
Rogers told The Californian after the sentencing that he appreciates the courts' careful consideration in granting Coykendall a just sentence.
Antonios noted by email that Coykendall's sentence will require that he be monitored for two years and comply with the terms of probation.
"Just as it is the sole province of the jury to determine if the charges are proven beyond a reasonable doubt, it is the sole province of the judge to determine the sentence within the parameters of the law," she wrote.
"The case remains a tragedy for the victim and his family," she added. "Though others may move on and change their lives, victims of homicides will never have that opportunity."
