Red Power Ranger Arrested For Murder, Accused Of Slaying Roommate With Sword

Former Red Power Ranger Ricardo Medina was arrested for murder Thursday morning in connection with the 2015 stabbing death of his roommate, according to a release issued by the office of the Los Angeles District Attorney. Medina’s roommate was stabbed to death with a sword about one year ago, but no charges were filed at that time.

According to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, Ricardo Medina’s roommate Josh Sutter was fatally stabbed on January 31, 2015, at the home the two shared in Green Valley, CA. As of January 14, 2016, the former Red Power Ranger was officially arrested in connection with the death of Sutter and charged with one count of murder. The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, but Medina will face the murder charge and is set for arraignment on Tuesday.

Prosecutors are expected to request that bail be set at $1 million in connection with the year-old stabbing death of the former Power Ranger’s roommate.

Although Medina was only recently charged with the murder of his roommate, this isn’t the first time he was arrested in connection with the crime. According to Variety, the former Power Ranger was originally arrested for the murder of his roommate about a year ago, but he wasn’t charged. At that time, Medina claimed self defense, saying that Sutter broke into his room and that he only picked up a sword to defend himself and his girlfriend.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s press release states that the stabbing was precipitated by an argument about Medina’s girlfriend, which turned physical. When he was originally arrested, and subsequently released, in connection with the stabbing death of his roommate, Medina stated that he retreated to his room with his girlfriend to avoid a confrontation with Sutter. Angered that Medina’s girlfriend was spending too much time at their house when Medina wasn’t around, Sutter allegedly broke into the room, which is when Medina went for his sword.

At the time, Good Morning America revealed photographs of the crime scene taken by a company that was employed by Sutter’s sister to clean up the crime scene after the investigation was complete. The pictures showed no damage to Medina’s bedroom door, calling into question whether Sutter actually broke in and provoked the former Red Power Ranger to defend himself and his girlfriend.

“I think that Josh probably opened the door trying to talk to him and I think he probably snapped,” Sutter’s sister told Good Morning America last year.

Ricardo Medina Jr’s undamaged bedroom door ‘shows he didn’t act in self-defense’, victim’s sister says http://t.co/1Mbqyz740o

— Certified (@ayo_RAF) February 4, 2015

Although Medina wasn’t charged with murder last year, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department continued to investigate the matter, and another arrest was eventually made. This time he will face the murder charge, and a jury will have the opportunity to decide whether or not the actor’s self defense claim is true.

If convicted of the charge, the Los Angeles District Attorney says that the former Power Ranger could face up to 26 years in prison for the stabbing murder of his roommate.

Medina was not the original Red Power Ranger, but he did feature in two separate incarnations of Power Rangers. His first turn with the franchise came in 2002, when he portrayed Red Power Ranger Cole Evans for 29 episodes of Power Rangers Wild Force. He later returned to the franchise in 2011 for 24 episodes of Power Rangers Samurai as Deker. According to Variety, the former Power Ranger also had turns on shows like E.R. and CSI: Miami long before his arrest for murder.

What do you think about the way that the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department let the former Red Power Ranger go, only to arrest him for murder, and actually go through with charges, almost a year later?

[Photo by Mark Mainz, Michael Loccisano/Getty Images]