An Oakland man on trial for the murder of his ex-girlfriend broke a restraint on his lap and attacked his attorney with a pen, then lunged at the prosecutor, creating a chaotic scene in the courtroom Monday as a county jury Contra Costa was watching, officials said.
Ramello Randle, 28, now faces additional charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and battery, said Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jimmy Lee.
His defense attorney, Matt Fregi, said he harbored “no ill will toward” his client, who had gone through several attorneys before him.
“Nothing serious,” he said of his injuries. “Everyone thought it was much more serious than it was.”
Randle is accused of working with Christopher Slaughter to track Jonaye Lahkel Bridges, 24, with a GPS attached to his car in July 2020. Bridges and Randle had been embroiled in a bitter child custody battle. Prosecutors said Randle followed her to a 7-Eleven in Antioch and shot into her car, where she was sitting with another man. The man was hit by gunfire but survived. Bridges was murdered.
Slaughter, a co-defendant in the case, reached a plea deal.
Outbursts in the Randle case are nothing new, and this fight raises questions about whether Superior Court Judge John W. Kennedy, who is presiding over the case, will declare a mistrial.
In 2022, a previous judge declared a mistrial after Randle, representing himself, unleashed what the Bay Area News Group described as “chaotic, profanity-ridden pandemonium.” He turned to several attorneys after losing his right to represent himself, including one whom the outlet said he “took a hit” in open court last year.
On Monday, lawyers at the AF Bray court in Martinez hoped the case would come to a close. Jurors had been listening to the last defense witness, Randle's brother, around 11 a.m. when, according to a source at the scene, Randle stabbed the pen into Fregi's head and again near his jaw. . He then headed towards the adjoining district. Lawyer. Kevin Bell, who had been standing near the jury box. But it never reached him.
“The courtroom was cleared immediately,” sheriff's spokesman Lee said. “The Fire Department responded to evaluate both attorneys, who refused medical attention.”
Bell is “doing well” and only has a scratch on his finger, said Ted Asregadoo, spokesman for the Contra Costa County district attorney. The case will resume on Tuesday.
“Hopefully we decide to move forward,” Fregi said.
