Nancy Dillon
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Jubilant Sykes at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on June 23 Michael Buckner/Getty Images The adult son of Grammy-nominated opera singer Jubilant Sykes pleaded not guilty Thursday to the fatal stabbing of his 71-year-old father at the family’s Santa Monica, California, home last December.
Micah Curtis Sykes, 31, entered the plea to one felony count of murder with a special allegation that he used a deadly weapon in the commission of the crime. Prosecutors allege he murdered his dad using a dagger, garden shears, and a barbell. The victim’s wife, who is also the defendant’s mother, was home and called 911. The celebrated singer was pronounced dead at the scene, prosecutors said.
If convicted as charged, Micah faces up to life in state prison.
Jubilant Sykes performed as the Celebrant in the Grammy-nominated 2009 recording of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under conductor Marin Alsop. Gramophone Magazine called him “the best of all possible Celebrants.”
“Our community continues to mourn the senseless loss of Jubilant Sykes, whose renowned baritone and legacy of music brought joy to the world,” L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said Thursday. “This horrific act of violence is a painful reminder of how older adults remain vulnerable to violence, even from those closest to them.”
As Rolling Stone first reported in December, a California woman previously accused Micah Sykes of threatening behavior that led her to obtain a restraining order in 2017. “Micah shows signs of mental instability. His behavior is unpredictable,” the petition obtained by Rolling Stone read. “Micah poses a real threat … and he has been violent with his own family members.”
