CALIFORNIA — A New York man was sentenced today to 56 years to life in state prison for killing his elderly pen pal in Hollywood last year, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Scott Kratlian, 46, was sentenced by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Robert Perry. Last month, jurors found Kratlian guilty of one count of first-degree murder.
Deputy District Attorney Tony Cho of the Elder Abuse Section prosecuted the case.
Kratlian and victim Harry Major, 82, became pen pals while the defendant was serving a sentence for manslaughter in a New York prison.
Once he was released from prison, Kratlian came to Los Angeles and stayed with Major for a short time.
On Feb. 10, 2014, Kratlian killed Major at the victim’s condo in the 1400 block of North Vista Street. The cause of death was strangulation KTLA reported.
Evidence presented at trial showed that some of Major’s blood was found on Kratlian’s shoes.
