Jury Recommends Life Sentence for Sect Devotee in Murder of Dissident

A Hare Krishna devotee who was convicted of murder in the 1986 slaying of a sect dissident should be sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole, a jury recommended Thursday in Los Angeles.

The recommendation means that Thomas A. Drescher, 42, escapes the death penalty, which had been sought by prosecutors. Drescher was convicted of murder for financial gain, making him eligible for death in the gas chamber. Sentencing is set for Nov. 8.

Drescher was convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Stephen L. Bryant, 33, of Royal Oak, Mich., a critic of the Hare Krishna sect.

The conviction came during a retrial for Drescher. A mistrial was declared in January when jurors deadlocked 8 to 4 for acquittal.

Prosecutors claimed that Drescher was paid $8,000 for the killing in the Palms area.

Bryant, a former Hare Krishna follower, allegedly called for the death of Drescher’s spiritual leader, Kirtanananda Swami Bhaktipada. Bryant accused the swami of drug trafficking, prostitution and child abuse.

Bryant’s murder came about a year after he launched his crusade.

Bhaktipada was sentenced in federal court there in June to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to murder, racketeering and related charges.