An actor who worked on the “Power Rangers Samurai” TV series has been arrested for allegedly stabbing his roommate to death with a sword, deputies said today.
Ricardo Medina Jr., 36, “was an actor who portrayed the Red Power Ranger” in the animated TV show’s latest two seasons, said Deputy Mike Carraza. Medina’s link to the controversial TV series was first reported by the web site TMZ.com.
The victim, Joshua Sutter, also 36, was stabbed to death about 3:45 p.m. Saturday at a residence in the 38000 block of San Francisquito Canyon Road. That is a rugged and isolated section of the Los Angeles-area mountains, about 45 miles north of the Civic Center.
Medina and Sutter were involved in an argument, which turned into a fight, according to Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
Medina went into his bedroom with his girlfriend, and closed the door. But Sutter, forced the bedroom door open, the deputy said.
Medina then allegedly stabbed Sutter once in the abdomen with a sword, which had been kept next to the bedroom door, according to the narrative from the sheriff’s office.
After Sutter collapsed, Medina called 911, stayed at the scene and was arrested there, deputies said. He was booked for suspicion of murder at the sheriff’s Palmdale station, and held in lieu of $1 million bail, the deputy said.
There was no answer today at Saban Capital, the firm owned by TV producer Haim Saban, or its New York City publicists. Saban has bought back rights to the Power Rangers franchise, after selling the lucrative property in the 1990s.
The series, featuring Japanese cartoon-like action, was roundly criticized for its on-screen violence when it debuted on U.S. television.
