BURLINGTON, Wash., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Lynn Compton, a war hero who went on to a law career that included prosecuting Robert F. Kennedy's assassin, has died in Washington state, his family said.
Compton was 90 when he died Saturday at his daughter Tracy's home in Burlington, Wash., the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday. He had suffered a heart attack Jan. 11.
During World War II, Compton was a first lieutenant in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the Army's 101st Airborne Division. His and his comrades' heroics were largely unknown until they were portrayed in "Band of Brothers," the 2001 HBO miniseries based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose's 1992 best-seller. Compton was awarded a Silver Star and a Purple Heart.
The Times noted Compton went on to become a Los Angeles deputy district attorney, heading the three-attorney team that prosecuted Sirhan B. Sirhan for killing Kennedy in 1968.
California Gov. Ronald Reagan appointed him to a judgeship in 1970.
