The crime scene looked like a bomb had gone off. That's how Detective Richard Doney described the bedroom in Monrovia, California, on the morning of September 11, 2009. There were blood smears on the walls. Globs of hair lay on the floor. A closet door was literally ripped off its hinges. In the middle of this chaos was the body of 31-year-old Felicia Tang (born Felicia Lee), a woman who had spent years trying to bridge the gap between adult film stardom and mainstream Hollywood success.
Her boyfriend, Brian Randone, wasn't some street tough or career criminal. He was a former youth minister, a master of divinity, and a one-time contestant on the Fox reality show The Sexiest Bachelor in America.
When the 911 call came in, Randone sounded frantic. He told dispatchers his girlfriend wasn't breathing. He claimed it was an overdose—specifically GHB, a party drug they’d supposedly taken together. But when the police walked into that apartment, they didn't see an "accidental overdose." They saw a struggle. They saw a woman with over 300 separate injuries. Honestly, the mismatch between his "religious" background and the violence of the scene is what first gripped the headlines.
The Prosecution’s Case: Murder and Torture
The Los Angeles County District Attorney didn't just charge Randone with murder; they added a torture enhancement. That’s a heavy lift in a courtroom. To prove torture, you have to prove the defendant intended to cause extreme pain for revenge, extortion, or a "persuasive" purpose.
The medical examiner’s report was the backbone of their case. It noted:
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- 320 distinct injuries including blunt force trauma, cuts, and scrapes.
- Evidence suggesting she had been forcibly smothered.
- Signs of a "crouched" struggle, where the victim was trying to hide or escape.
The prosecution basically argued that Randone snapped. They painted a picture of a man who lived a double life—a "preacher" by day who harbored a dark, violent streak. They pointed to the state of the apartment as proof of a sustained, violent assault. For two years while he sat in jail on a $2 million bail, it seemed like an open-and-shut case.
The Defense: A "Perfect Storm" of GHB
If you've ever followed a high-profile trial, you know the "slam dunk" usually isn't. Brian Randone's defense team, led by Mark Overland, didn't try to argue that Felicia wasn't injured. They argued she did it to herself.
That sounds crazy, right? 300 injuries?
But they brought in experts like Trinka Porrata, a specialist on the drug GHB. They showed the jury videos of people on "G" having violent, uncontrollable seizures. The defense theory was that Felicia had taken a massive dose, went into a series of thrashing fits, and basically "beat herself up" by crashing into furniture and walls. They argued the blood on the walls was from her flailing around, not him attacking her.
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Then came the "smoking gun" for the jury: Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA).
A medical expert for the defense, Dr. Harry Bonnell, testified that when paramedics arrived, Felicia’s heart showed PEA. He claimed that in this specific context, PEA is almost exclusively a sign of a drug overdose rather than trauma or suffocation.
The Verdict That Shocked LA
In December 2011, after only two days of deliberation, the jury came back: Not Guilty.
It wasn't that they necessarily thought Brian Randone was a saint. It was that the medical evidence provided just enough "reasonable doubt." One juror later mentioned that the PEA evidence was a massive turning point. If her heart was doing that, maybe it was the drugs.
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Randone walked out of court a free man that day. The prosecution was floored. The public was divided. You had people who saw it as a tragic accident fueled by the dark side of the Hollywood party scene, and others who saw it as a preacher getting away with murder because he could afford top-tier experts.
Why the Felicia Tang Case Still Matters
Kinda makes you think about how much "truth" in a courtroom depends on which expert the jury likes more. Felicia Tang was more than just a headline. She was a daughter and a friend who had landed roles in Rush Hour 2 and The Fast and the Furious. She was trying to build a career in mortgage banking. She was a real person whose life ended in a messy, violent room.
The case serves as a massive cautionary tale about the intersection of lifestyle and the legal system.
Key Takeaways from the Case:
- Expert Witnesses Win Trials: The prosecution focused on the appearance of the room (which was horrific), but the defense focused on the chemistry of the body. Science often beats optics in a jury room.
- The "Preacher" Narrative is Complicated: Randone’s religious background was used by the media to create a "Jekyll and Hyde" story, but in court, his lack of a prior violent record helped him stay credible.
- GHB is Volatile: Regardless of the verdict, the role of GHB in this case highlighted the extreme dangers of "party drugs" that can lead to fatal physical reactions.
If you’re looking into this case today, it’s worth watching the 48 Hours episode "The Preacher's Passion." It gives you a look at the actual crime scene photos (they're rough) and the interviews with Randone himself. You can see the way he remains calm, almost detached, which either looks like the peace of an innocent man or the coldness of a sociopath, depending on who you ask.
The legal chapter is closed, but for the friends and family of Felicia Tang, there isn't really "closure." There’s just a "not guilty" verdict and a lot of unanswered questions about what happened in those final hours in Monrovia.
Your next step for research: Look up the trial transcripts or the medical breakdown of "Pulseless Electrical Activity" in overdose cases to see why that specific piece of testimony was so legally powerful. It’s the best way to understand how a case with 300 injuries ended in an acquittal.