Man charged with murdering scientist camping at Malibu Creek State Park on trial for attacking 2 deputies

A man charged with murdering a scientist camping in Malibu Creek State Park is on trial for allegedly attacking two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies in separate incidents while he has been in custody.

Anthony Rauda, 45, is charged with attacking a female sheriff's deputy in Men's Central Jail with a shaved-down pencil after a contentious hearing on March 16 and punching a male sheriff's deputy in the jaw after a March 30, 2020 hearing in which Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo refused to let the defendant represent himself.

Rauda is awaiting trial in the case of 35-year-old Allergan scientist Tristan Thomas Beaudette of Irvine, who was shot on June 22, 2018 while camping in a tent with his two young daughters, who were not hurt. Rauda is also facing 10 counts of attempted murder, which include Beaudette's daughters as the named victims, and five counts of second-degree commercial burglary in connection with a three-year crime spree.

Deputy District Attorney Antonella Nistorescu has been tasked with prosecuting Rauda for the attacks on the deputies, without mentioning the high-profile murder of the scientist that resulted in his being in custody. Outside the jury's presence, Superior Court Judge David Fields said "this isn't a murder trial" and deferred a ruling on whether Beaudette's murder can be brought up in this case on whether Rauda decides to testify in his own defense.

In her opening statement, Nistorescu told the jury that Rauda became "angry and rageful" after Olmedo refused to let him represent himself. At a previous court appearance, Rauda was rolled into a court restrained to a chair and wearing a "spit hood" to prevent him from spitting or biting. The restraints were deployed in response to a previous outburst from Rauda in court during which he went on an expletive-filled rant and slammed the walls of his holding cell.

Rauda's attorney, Kevin Avery, opted to deliver his opening statement at the start of the defense's portion of the case.