Former NFL player Travis Rudolph can train at the Los Angeles Fitness Center before the murder trial – Reading Eagle

The former football star, who is accused of opening fire on four people, killing one and injuring another, and who is accused of murder and attempted murder, can stay at his home in Lake Park – and train in the park and fitness halls of Los Angeles .

Travis Rudolph faces life imprisonment after being charged fired from a machine gun at a group of men and the murder of 21-year-old Sebastian Jean-Jacques last year.

Rudolf pleaded not guilty to one charge of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree murder. He was released from prison this month after the Palm Beach State Prosecutor’s Office issued a $ 160,000 bail. As part of his release, Rudolf will be allowed to train at the LA Fitness and Dyer Park in West Palm Beach from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., until his house arrest officer approves Rudolf’s schedule in advance.

Ken Malnik, a Fort Lauderdale criminal defense attorney who served on the defense team in a high-profile trial for the murder of Miami Subs founder Gus Bullis, said he considered it “unusual” that the state had agreed to release Rudolf in court.

“Usually in such cases, the state will really fight and try to keep someone under lock and key,” said Malnik, who is not involved in Rudolf’s case. “It’s just unusual why the state agrees to bonds.”

The 26-year-old Rudolf had previously been held without contact arrested April 7, 2021.

Rudolph, who attended Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach and the University of Florida and briefly played in the NFL, will remain under house arrest through the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office until a trial that begins no earlier than September. .

Rudolph shares a house in Lake Park with his mother and brother.

Rudolf’s lawyer, Mark Scheiner, filed a motion for pre-trial release, but before it went to the judge, the state prosecutor’s office agreed to the order to release Rudolf on bail.

The shooting last April was due to a quarrel between Rudolph and his girlfriend Dominic Jones earlier in the day, causing Jones to write a message to his brother asking for help and “Shoot him“, It is said in the court materials.

The brother, Jean-Jacques and two other men went to Rudolph’s house to confront him about the incident. Once they arrived, fights broke out between four men, Rudolf and Rudolf’s brother, Daryl, in front of Rudolf’s house. When the men retreated to their car, Rudolph allegedly fired 39 rounds at the car, killing Jean-Jacques.

Rudolf’s lawyers say he acted in self-defense, while prosecutors say it was murder.

Judge Jeffrey Dana Gilen rejected Rudolf’s demand to “stand on one’s own.” in March, which allowed the case to move forward.

In order to deny pre-trial release, prosecutors must overcome the high barrier in proving the defendant’s guilt – a level higher than “beyond reasonable doubt,” Malnik said. He said the state, which allows the issuance of bonds, may be due to many potential factors, such as the defense, which does not want to show most of its case or is not ready for a preliminary hearing.

Seeking Rudolf’s release, Shiner said Rudolf had no previous arrests or criminal records, and that his mother and brother, who also live in his home, had never been arrested.

Prosecution spokesman Mark Freeman said they did not comment on unfinished cases.

The court ruling did not specify whether Rudolf would have to wear a surveillance device.

Prior to his arrest, Rudolf had recently worked for the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but was released by the team after his arrest. Rudolf signed with the organization in December 2019, but has never played with the team since the CFL season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The wide receiver has played just seven NFL games with the New York Giants after being drafted in 2017. He signed a contract with the Miami Dolphins as part of their coaching team in 2018, but broke the ACL on his first practice, finishing with the team.

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