‘Power Rangers’ Actor Given Six-Year Sentence For Killing Roommate With A Sword
Ricardo Medina Jr. was given a six-year sentence for murdering his roommate with a sword in January of 2015, as reported by ABC 7. The confrontation between Medina and the victim started as an argument about Medina’s girlfriend. Medina is an actor mostly known for playing the Red Power Ranger in the television series Power Rangers Wild Force. Medina appeared in a couple other television shows and independent films before his arrest.
Former Red Ranger Ricardo Medina Jr. faces six years in prison after using a samurai sword to kill his roommate. https://t.co/qq33BZcf5V
— Looper (@looper) March 30, 2017
Medina hasn’t appeared on film since his involvement in the 2011-2012 series Power Rangers Samurai, in which Medina actually played the role of Deker, a villain, instead of a Power Ranger. It’s interesting that Medina switched from good to evil in his final role, and was even using swords on set. Medina used a samurai sword to stab his roommate to death just a few years later. Police reported that Medina had stabbed his victim, Josh Sutter, ten times.
When u find out the red power ranger may be doin some jail time for murder :/ pic.twitter.com/uuKZAxDBly
— nickson? (@nikkinoodles22) March 28, 2017
The Power Rangers have been iconic for children since their inception more than 20 years ago. Medina’s involvement with the franchise makes up the bulk of his career. For Medina to be charged and sentenced for murder is the opposite kind of behavior that both children and adults would expect from someone who played the role of a hero.
Medina specifically played the Red Power Ranger, the leader of the Power Rangers who channeled the power of a lion throughout the series. Medina was the star of the show until it ended a year later. His acting career didn’t expand much beyond TV cameos and independent film casting.
Per Fox News, Medina pleaded guilty on March 16 to one count of manslaughter. He explained that he used a sword to stab his roommate to death after arguing with the victim about his girlfriend. Medina, the Red Lion Power Ranger, was given a maximum sentence of six years this morning.
Per Deadline, Medina’s sentence will begin immediately. An updated statement from the court has clarified that Medina is actually only serving half of what the maximum sentence could have been. The Red Power Ranger actor has been in custody for over a fourteen months, having been arrested January 2016, a year after the murder. Medina’s bail was set at $1 million.
The victim’s father was candid when he spoke on Medina.
“We also hope that everyone that looks at Ricardo from now on will never see him as a celebrity but as nothing more than a cold-blooded killer.”
Despite Ricardo Medina’s murder of his roommate, law enforcement has expressed the actor could be out on parole in only three years. In California, the voluntary manslaughter charge has a variation of sentence lengths; a three year minimum, six years, and an eleven year maximum.
[Featured Image by D Dipasupil/Getty Images]
