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‘Power Rangers’ Star Ricardo Medina Jr. Says He Did Not Intentionally Kill Roommate With Sword

By Jessica Dafoe
Published on: 06:59 PST, Oct 1, 2016

The strange case involving former Power Rangers actor, Ricardo Medina Jr., and an alleged murder of his roommate, has moved forward with a “not guilty” plea from the suspect. At Medina’s arraignment on Friday, the former Power Ranger denied slaying his roommate with a sword. The 37-year-old then plead not guilty to one count of murder in the killing of Josh Sutter on January 31, 2015.

Medina, who is best known for his portrayal of the Red Lion Wild Force Ranger in the film Power Rangers Wild Force back in 2002, and also as the voice of Deker on Power Rangers Samurai in 2011 and 2012, could be sentenced to up to 26 years in prison if convicted of the crime. The men were reportedly arguing about Medina’s girlfriend when the situation turned to physical violence. Medina stands accused of stabbing Sutter with a sword multiple times.

After the incident, the actor then called the police and first responders hurried his roommate to the hospital, yet it was too late and Sutter was pronounced dead at the scene. Although initially arrested directly after the January 31st occurrence, the District Attorney’s Office did not feel that there was sufficient evidence at the time to charge Medina, therefore the suspect was released on February 3, 2015.

Following his release, as Entertainment Weekly relays, Medina spoke to the media about the incident and gave his condolences to Sutter’s family.

“I want to say I am very, very, very sorry for what occurred. I’m very happy to be out of jail and my heart goes out to the Sutter family. Thank you.”

It wasn’t until January of 2016 that the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced it will, in fact, be charging Medina with one count of murder for his role in the stabbing that took place in Green Valley, the year before. Medina reportedly stabbed Sutter multiple times in the stomach in the mountain home. After being arrested for the second time and this time being charged, the actor’s bail was set at $1 million, as People noted.

Medina’s attorney at the time of his arrest stated that the accused was simply acting in self-defense against Sutter while the two had a heated argument over his girlfriend. The BBC relays additional details about the exchange between the two roommates that resulted in the death of one.

“[Medina] said he and a female friend locked themselves in his bedroom after a row with Joshua Sutter. He claimed his flatmate kicked the door open, at which point he grabbed the sword to protect himself. The actor, who was initially arrested after calling 911, denies murder.”

The actor, who was born in Kern County, California, and was raised in Downey, California is of Puerto Rican descent and first came into acting as a teen. His first major role was in the film Power Rangers Wild Force, yet he was a guest star on a number of well-known television series following the 2002 film. Medina was a guest star on ER back in 2003 as Aidan Fenwick, and then CSI:Miami as Lance. The actor then played roles in Confessions of a Pit Fighter, Bad Blood, Witchcraft, and Parasomnia. As stated, his last well-known role was as the voice on the Power Rangers films Power Rangers Samurai and Power Rangers Super Samurai which were released in 2011 and 2012.

The actor’s next appearance is set for October 20 and it is unknown as to whether the woman who was at the scene will eventually testify in the case, either for or against Ricardo Medina Jr.

[Featured Image by Mark Mainz/Getty Images]

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