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Ex-'Power Ranger' Actor Arrested And Charged With Murder
Ricardo Medina Jr. at the premiere of 'Dirty Love' at the ArcLight Cinerama Dome on September 19, 2005 (Mark Mainz/Getty Images)
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Life is often said to imitate art, but for Ricardo Medina, the proverb holds perhaps a little bit too true. Medina, an actor who played the sword-wielding villain for two seasons on the TV show Power Rangers Samurai, was arrested this morning in Riverside for allegedly murdering his roommate with a sword, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
The homicide occurred last January on San Francisquito Canyon Road in the city of Palmdale, and L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies took Medina into custody at the time. However, Medina was released a few days later after friends said he stabbed 36-year-old Joshua Sutter in self-defense.
"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," Medina said after his release in February of 2015, according to KABC.
Though Medina was released, the L.A. District Attorney's office requested the Sheriff's department continue investigating the homicide.
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Lt. Victor Lewandowski, of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau, said Medina and Sutter were arguing minutes before the murder about how Medina’s girlfriend had parked her car, according to the L.A. Times. Medina considered the argument a sign of disrespect from Sutter to his girlfriend.
Medina and his girlfriend retreated to his bedroom and closed the door. But Sutter followed, entering the room after he forced open the door. Medina grabbed the sword he kept in his bedroom and stabbed Sutter multiple times in the stomach.
Lewandowski did not offer comment to the L.A. Times about what prompted the arrest, nor did Medina's attorney respond.
Aside from his part in Power Rangers Samurai, Medina also portrayed the Red Power Ranger in Power Rangers Wild Force from 2002 to 2003. Aside from his roles in the Power Rangers flicks, his acting career has mostly been limited to one-off, small time roles. You can see a clip of Medina wielding a sword in an episode of Power Rangers Samurai on YouTube.
If convicted, Medina faces 26 years to life in prison.
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