Boyfriend charged in stabbing death of former reality TV lawyer
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. - A California man is charged with murder in the stabbing death of his girlfriend, whose life as a lawyer was depicted on a short-lived reality television show.
The charge against Robert Reagan, 51, of Redondo Beach, was filed Friday, two days after the death of 47-year-old Loredana Nesci.
Nesci's body was found in her home Wednesday, July 22, after police said a distraught-sounding Reagan called them.
Reagan's attorney, Shepard Kopp, said in a statement that his client was defending himself after Nesci attacked him with a hunting knife.
Nesci was a former Los Angeles Police Department officer, trained in the use of deadly weapons, and an exceptionally strong body builder, Kopp said.
"This case is a terrible tragedy," he said. "While defending himself against (Nesci's) assault with a deadly weapon, Robert tried to disarm her, and in the intense struggle that ensued she tragically suffered a fatal wound.
"While Robert is not guilty of committing any criminal offense, he is devastated by this horrible event."
Nesci appeared on a six-episode run of a reality show last year on SundanceTV called Loredena, Esq.
Nesci's website says she was briefly a police officer before going to law school and starting a practice in 2004.
Nesci's longtime friend Alex Kyrklund, says the version of events put forward by Reagan's lawyer can't be true.
"There's no way. There's just no way. I mean, she's not violent. She was the sweetest, most positive person, and she believed in the law. Why would she go against everything she believed in?," Kyrklund told CBS Los Angeles.
Reagan's arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 20. Prosecutors are recommending bail of more than $1 million.