Alleged killer to be tried in Baja Alleged killer to be tried in Baja (December 10, 2004)

Victim's mother at loss to explain how fishing trip led to murder

by Don Kazak and Alexandria Rocha

Jamal Kytle, the former Palo Alto High School student charged with killing his childhood friend last weekend, will stand trial in Baja, Calif. with his sentencing decided by a single official -- the state authority of Baja.

"The judicial system in Mexico is different. It's not a jury trial," said Lorena Blanco, a spokeswoman for the American Consulate General in Tijuana. The state authority of Baja is equivalent to the state district attorney here, she added.

Kytle is charged with stabbing 23-year-old Micah Kuhlman, a longtime friend and 2000 graduate of Paly, during a fishing trip last weekend near Ensenada. Kytle never graduated from Paly, withdrawing in 1998 during his sophomore year, said Associate Superintendent Cynthia Pino. The district office had no record of why Kytle withdrew or where he went.

Blanco said there is no extradition between the United States and Mexico for a homicide case. If Kytle is charged with the crime and sentenced, however, Blanco said he could qualify for a transfer program that exists between the two countries. She was not sure Thursday of the qualifications for the program.

"They (convicts) have to serve part of their sentence and then they do quarterly transfers -- Mexican prisoners get sent to Mexican jails and American prisoners get sent to American jails," Blanco said.

Kuhlman's mother, Heather White, was scheduled to fly to Mexico this week to retrieve the body of her son. White said Mexican authorities told her the two men had been fishing on a jetty Dec. 3 when Kytle pulled a knife and stabbed Kuhlman in the chest. Witnesses allegedly reported the attack to authorities.

White said her son, who lived in Santa Cruz and operated his own hauling and landscaping business, had planned to take a fishing and camping vacation in Mexico with three other friends. Kytle, who previously had a falling out with Kuhlman, heard about the trip and asked to go, White said.

"He showed up before Thanksgiving and wanted to make amends, and begged to go with them," White said of Kytle. She said Kytle declined a Thanksgiving-dinner invitation.

The two young men left for Mexico last week, with the other three friends slated to join them later.

White, who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer, was at a loss earlier this week as to how a reunion vacation with boyhood friends could turn into such a tragedy.

White is planning a private gathering for Kuhlman's friends from Paly, and possibly a more public remembrance after the holidays.

"People liked him, he was personable," White said of her son. "He said he would never do anything he didn't want to do, because life is too short."

White said she will have her son's body cremated in Mexico and have his ashes scattered at some of his favorite places, including Davenport north of Santa Cruz, where he liked to surf; at a former family home in Lopez Island, Wash.; and in Baja California, where he liked to go camping.

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