Micah Sykes, the son of celebrated opera and gospel singer Jubilant Sykes, pleaded not guilty to murdering his father during an arraignment at the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles on Thursday (Aug. 6).
The younger Sykes, 31, was arrested hours after his father was fatally stabbed at the family’s Santa Monica, Calif., residence on Dec. 8, 2025.
Micah Sykes was charged with a felony count of murder with a special allegation that the defendant used a deadly weapon in the commission of the crime. If convicted, he faces up to a life sentence in state prison.
“Our community continues to mourn the senseless loss of Jubilant Sykes whose renowned baritone and legacy of music brought joy to the world,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a statement on Thursday. “This horrific act of violence is a painful reminder of how older adults remain vulnerable to violence, even from those closest to them. Our elders deserve to feel safe and the office’s Elder Abuse Section is committed to holding those who harm them fully accountable.”
According to Rolling Stone, prosecutors allege that Micah Sykes murdered his father inside their home using a “dagger, garden shears and a barbell.”
Police responded to a 911 call of an assault around 9:20 p.m. PT on Dec. 8. The Grammy-nominated singer was ruled dead at the scene by Santa Monica Fire Department personnel. He was 71.
Micah Sykes, who is one of Jubilant’s three children, was quickly identified as a suspect in the fatal stabbing. He was taken into custody “without incident,” according to the Santa Monica Police Department.
“I was born and raised in Santa Monica, so we were really pretty close out here. What a singer… Good spirit, good-hearted person, beautiful family,” Jubilant Sykes’ neighbor and friend Sammy Murphy told KTLA at the time of the murder.
Per a press release put out by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office,Micah Sykes will remain behind bars without bail and is slated to be back in court on Sept. 2.
