West
California defendant on trial for murder allegedly stabs his attorney with pen, charges toward prosecutor
Two attorneys were injured on Monday in a Martinez, California, courtroom after a man on trial for murder allegedly used a pen to stab his own defense lawyer before subsequently charging the prosecutor.
Ramello Randle, 28, allegedly broke or cut through a restraint device keeping him in a courtroom chair before he used his lawyer’s pen to stab the lawyer in his face and head, according to the East Bay Times. Randle then charged the prosecutor, who suffered a scratch on his hand.
The defendant was stopped when a courtroom deputy tackled him and arrested him.
Officials later found a handwritten note Randle allegedly wrote before the attack that read, “sorry.”
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Ramello Randle, 28, allegedly used a pen to stab his own defense lawyer before subsequently attacking the prosecutor in a California courtroom. (Antioch Police Department)
Defense lawyer Matthew Fregi was treated at the courthouse for stab wounds. The scratch on Deputy District Attorney Kevin Bell’s hand was also examined. Witnesses said Bell swung back at Randle after he was scratched.
“This morning at about 10:54, during a homicide trial at the A.F. Bray Courthouse in Martinez, inmate Ramello Randle attacked his attorney with a pen,” the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital. “28-year-old Randle of Oakland then went to attack the District Attorney, who was able to push him off. The courtroom was immediately cleared. The fire department responded to assess both of the attorneys, who refused medical attention.”
Randle was transported back to the Martinez Detention Facility, where he will face additional charges including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and battery, the sheriff’s office said.
Fregi, Bell and Randle are scheduled to return to court on Tuesday to continue the trial.
The incident happened in front of a Contra Costa jury that will determine whether Randle is guilty on charges for allegedly murdering his ex-girlfriend and attempting to murder a man amid a child custody dispute in 2020. Jurors are scheduled to hear closing arguments this week.
Officials later found a handwritten note Randle allegedly wrote before the attack that read, “sorry.” (iStock)
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Randle is accused of working with another man, Christopher Slaughter, to kill 24-year-old Jonaye Lahkel Bridges, the mother of Randle’s child. Prosecutors said Randle placed a tracking device on Bridges’ car, followed her to a convenience store in Antioch and shot at her and a man she was with, killing Bridges.
The evidence against Randle allegedly includes text messages, location trackers and fingerprints on the suspected murder weapon.
Following the attack in court, Fregi told the East Bay Times over the phone he was “fine.”
“It was no big deal,” he said.
Defense lawyer Matthew Fregi was treated at the courthouse for stab wounds. The scratch on Deputy District Attorney Kevin Bell’s hand was also examined. (MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
Randle’s lack of courtroom decorum has already caused one mistrial in November 2022, the East Bay Times reported. The case was days away from concluding when Randle shouted expletives at Bell during the cross-examination of Randle’s mother, a defense witness. Randle then told Judge Charles “Ben” Burch to “shut up, I’m not your b—-” when the judge attempted to control the situation.
Burch removed Randle’s ability to serve as his own lawyer and declared a mistrial the following day. Fregi started as Randle’s attorney after a September 2023 hearing where Randle allegedly took a swing at attorney Lawrence Strauss, who was uninjured in the incident.
Later on Monday, Fregi said he’s “hopeful we can finish what we started six weeks ago.”
“I harbor no ill will toward Mr. Randle because he was in a position to do a lot more damage to me than he did, had he felt so inclined,” Fregi said. “And I’m glad that I got the worst of it because it reinforces the fact that it was done as a means to an end.”
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NORTHWEST BOISE, Idaho — The Boise River is considered the heart of the city for many folks — floating, fishing and the gorgeous scenery on the greenbelt all rely on the waterway.
That’s why the City of Boise closely monitors the river’s water quality and the treated wastewater returned to the river from its water renewal facilities.
“The biggest question we get from people who are pedestrians and bicyclists is what are you trying to catch?,” said Bryan Dufosse, Senior Environmental Specialist with the City of Boise.
He and his team are often seen on the bridges over the Boise River with a unique crane looking contraption that they use to collect a series of water samples across the river.
WATCH | See how the city’s enviromental team tests the water quality of the Boise River
How the City of Boise tests water samples to ensure the Boise River runs clean
The city collects samples from locations upstream and downstream from Boise’s water renewal plants to ensure their treatment systems are working properly.
“We’re from the beginning of the pipe to the end of the pipe, making sure that we’re not putting anything into the river that takes away from the river’s water quality,” Dufosse said.
He says the majority of the time their samples come back nice and clean.
“We don’t see heavy pollutants fortunately here. Normally the Boise river is pretty clean, it’s pretty clean because the city citizens and the City Of Boise care about the River,” Dufosse said.
The city still conducts extensive testing to monitor for pollutants and other contaminants like heavy metals or nutrients. Samples collected from the river are brought to a portable water testing lab they built inside a camper before they’re taken to the city’s full size lab.
“Now we are splitting the samples so we can take them back to the water quality lab and then Alex and the rest of the team will test them for heavy metals and pH and all that kind of stuff,” said Corrine Smith, Water Quality Environmental Technician with the City of Boise.
If unusually high levels of metals or pollutants are detected, the city reports the findings to the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and works to identify the source.
The city’s water quality team tests the Boise River 52 weeks a year to ensure the water remains clean and healthy.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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