Robert Reagan, the man suspected of killing his reality star girlfriend, Loredana Nesci, has been charged with one count of murder with a knife and ordered to be held on more than $1 million bail, according to "Entertainment Tonight."
Nesci, an LAPD officer turned lawyer who starred in the Sundance Channel reality show "Loredana, Esq," was found dead in her L.A. home early Wednesday morning at the age of 47. According to the Los Angeles Times, police received an emergency call from a "distraught male," who was later identified as Reagan.
A Redondo Beach Police Department spokesman said the officers, who arrived at the Redondo Beach home Nesci shared with her boyfriend and their 5-year-old son Rocco Nesci-Reagan, found the reality star's lifeless body.
"It was kind of weird actually. He didn't say anything. It's one of those things we call an unknown trouble call," Redondo Beach Police Sgt. Fabian Saucedo told the L.A. Times. "He gave them details of what may have occurred, and as a result, [the officers] decided they better go in and check the welfare. That's where they found the body."
Reagan was arrested on suspicion of murder. However, he is claiming he accidentally stabbed his girlfriend in self-defense while trying to wrestle a knife away from her. Reagan's attorney, Shepard Kopp, claimed Nesci came at his client with the alleged weapon during a domestic dispute inside their home.
"Loredana Nesci was a former LAPD officer, highly trained in the use of deadly weapons. She was also an avid bodybuilder and was exceptionally strong," said Kopp in a statement. "She attacked Robert with a hunting knife in the midst of a domestic dispute. While defending himself against her assault with a deadly weapon, Robert tried to disarm her, and in the intense struggle that ensued, she tragically suffered a fatal wound. Robert is not guilty of committing any criminal offense."
Despite Reagan's accusations, friends of the victim told ABC News that Nesci had a tough side but was never violent.
"Loredana was just the nicest person you have ever met," said her friend Tori Moorhead. "She helped so many people. You'd come in and ask her for help and she would never tell you 'no,' and it was never about money with her clients."
Neighbors have admitted to hearing the couple fighting frequently, with one woman adding that arguments between the two happened several times a week.
If convicted as charged, Reagan could face a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison. His arraignment was postponed until Aug. 20 to give his lawyer time to "review police reports and file motions."
