Celebrities are often in the spotlight because of their fame, but there are negative reasons, such as being convicted of major crimes, that some celebrities have recently been in the media spotlight. Major crimes are felonies, not minor, misdemeanor offenses such as possession of a small amount of marijuana, perjury, simple assault or traffic tickets. Major crimes includes offenses such as murder, manslaughter, sexual offenses and other major crimes of violence. It may be surprising to learn the serious, major crimes that some celebrities have been convicted of.
Skylar Deleon no longer has super powers
Skylar Deleon rose to fame as a teenager in his role as one of the ‘Power Rangers’ in the television series. Instead of fighting crime, he now sits on death row in California, convicted of three grizzly murders. In 2003, he scammed $50,000 from 45 year-old John Jarvi and then slit his throat and left him dead along a roadway near Ensenada, Mexico.
He was sentenced to death in Orange County, California in 2009 after being convicted of killing a couple after pretending to be interested in buying their yacht. Deleon, according to Fox News, tied Tom Hawks and his wife, Jackie, to an anchor while on a fake test cruise of the yacht. As they pleaded for their lives, Deleon threw them overboard into the Pacific Ocean. The bodies of the couple were not recovered. Deleon’s former wife was sentenced to life in prison for murder and murder for financial gain for her role in helping Deleon. Two other men were also sentenced in the murder of Tom and Jackie Hawks.
Drunk Melrose Place actress guilty of vehicular homicide
Amy Locane-Bovenizer, who appeared in several episodes of the television show Melrose Place, was convicted of vehicular homicide in a case where she killed a woman while driving with a blood-alcohol level of almost three times the legal limit. When a judge sentenced her to just three years imprisonment, instead of the 10 year maximum, the husband of 60 year-old Helene Seeman, yelled out, “What a travesty!” The New York Daily News also quoted Fred Seeman, the victim’s son, as saying, “This is not justice.”
Random Task doing random tasks behind bars for life
Joseph Hyungmin Son, who played the part of ‘Random Task’ in the first Austin Powers movie is serving a life sentence for heinous crimes dating back to 1990. E! Online says that Son was convicted in the Christmas Eve gang rape and torture of a woman who was walking her dog while enjoying Christmas lights. After being raped repeatedly at gunpoint, with Son threatening to kill her, Son and his accomplice finally let her go. She ran naked to a neighbor’s home to seek help.
The case went cold for nearly two decades until Son was arrested on a warrant for an unrelated 2008 charge of felony vandalism. The DNA sample taken after he was sentenced in that case proved to be a match in the 1990 case. His accomplice received a sentence of 17 years, 4 months in the case.
The 40 Year-Old Virgin actor serving life for attempted murder
When actor Shelley Malil of The 40 Year Old Virgin fame went to his ex-girlfriend’s home to make amends for items he took from her home, he flew into a rage upon finding Kendra Beebe with another man. Malil grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed Beebe over 20 times. NBC San Diego explains that Malil was convicted on charges of attempted premeditated murder as well as assault with a deadly weapon.
Beebe delivered a victim impact statement to the court, and stated, in part, “Despite plunging a knife in me 23 times and trying to kill me, I am alive. Despite the wicked scars he left on my body, I am alive.” Malil will be eligible for request for parole in 9 or 10 years.
Lil Danger faces life in prison
The only place that rapper ‘Lil Danger’ may be demonstrating his rap skills is prison and for a very long time. The Seattle Times reported that Lil Danger was found guilty of murder for killing another rapper at an “after-concert party” at a hotel in Spokane, Washington, in November 2011. Due to his April 2013 conviction on charges related to the murder of Jose A “Junior” Solis, John Castro, “Lil Danger,” faces a possible sentence of life imprisonment.
C Murder now a murderer
Rapper ‘C Murder,’ whose real name is Corey Miller, was sentenced to life in prison in 2009. He was convicted of murdering a 16 year old boy, who was a fan, outside a nightclub in 2002. At the time of sentencing, Miller was already incarcerated on unrelated charges of two counts of attempted murder, which USA Today indicates allegedly occurred at a Baton Rouge nightclub in 2001.
While celebrities are often the center of attention and frequently in the media spotlight for their acting, singing, or other abilities, some celebrities are in the limelight for committing serious crimes. Like some other individuals, perhaps celebrity criminals acted on impulse or were under the influence of an illegal substance at the time the crimes were committed. Perhaps, some celebrities, who have been known to make statements indicating as much, believe their celebrity status precludes them from being arrested, sentenced and incarcerated for committing serious crimes.