Actor Ricardo Medina, who played the red Power Ranger in several iterations of the popular TV series, has admitted to the murder of his former roommate, stabbing him with a sword following an argument.
The 38-year-old was originally facing charges of first-degree murder, which carries a sentence of 26 years to life, but this week, he made a guilty plea to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, and now faces six years behind bars.
Prosecutors in the case alleged that Medina killed his roommate, 36-year-old Josh Sutter, in their Los Angeles home in January 2015, after an argument about Medina’s girlfriend turned physical.
The defence claimed that, after the pair came to blows, Medina and his girlfriend locked themselves in his bedroom, but Sutter broke down the door and charged in at the pair.
They claim Medina picked up the nearest weapon, which was a large “Conan the Barbarian“-style sword, and stabbed him in the abdomen in self-defence. Sutter later died in hospital.
Medina will be sentenced on March 30, and lawyer Stanley Friedman says that his client is “happy and enthusiastic” with the deal that was offered, as it will allow him to avoid life in prison.
“I think it’s a good resolution for both parties,” Friedman added. “The [DA’s] office gave it a lot of consideration. I think they did a good job of evaluating the evidence and the risk.”
The actor played the Red Lion Force Ranger in Power Rangers Wild Force in 2002, and returned to the series for Power Rangers Super Samurai in 2011 and 2012.
Source: NBC News.
Photo: Michael Tullberg / Getty.
