The man charged with murdering his reality star girlfriend, “Legal Diva” Loredana Nesci, stabbed her in self-defense as he wrestled a hunting knife from her, his attorney has said.
Robert Reagan, 51, tried to disarm the mother of his child after she came at him during a domestic dispute inside their shared Redondo Beach, Calif., home Wednesday, his lawyer said in a statement obtained by the Daily News.
“Loredana Nesci was a former LAPD officer, highly trained in the use of deadly weapons. She was also an avid body builder, and was exceptionally strong,” Attorney Shepard Kopp wrote of her physical abilities.
“… in the intense struggle that ensued she tragically suffered a fatal wound. Robert is not guilty of committing any criminal offense,” he continued.
The 47-year-old attorney, who starred in her own reality TV show “Loredana, Esq.” on the Sundance Channel, was later found dead by police after a 7:30 a.m. 911 call by Reagan, police said.
He was described as distraught but “very vague” on the phone about what happened, Redondo Beach Police Sgt. Fabian Saucedo told the LA Times of that call.
“It was kind of weird actually. He didn’t say anything. It’s one of those things we call an unknown trouble call,” Sgt. Saucedo said.
“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,” he added.
Reagan was charged Friday with one count of murder and ordered held on more than $1 million bail.
Neighbors of the couple have since described them as frequently heard fighting. One woman described it as at least a couple times a week.
“But then I heard nothing for at least a month,” Nicole Peterson told the LA Times. “I guess it was the calm before the storm.”
