News

Shelley Malil Pleads Not Guilty, Christian Bale Charges Dropped

Actor Shelley Malil pleaded "not guilty" to attempted murder charges levied against him in the stabbing of his former girlfriend. Malil, 43, is being held on $10 million bond after Superior Court Judge Marshall Hockett labeled the actor, who starred in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, a flight risk.

Malil faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if he is convicted of the charges against him, which include special circumstances of premeditation, causing great bodily injury, and using a deadly weapon. The victim has been identified as 35-year-old Kendra Beebe, and it's said that Malil attacked her with a knife as her two children slept in another room. Prosecutor Steven Carver stated that "there was a prolonged attack" and that the actor stabbed Beebe repeatedly without any words or argument. A visitor disarmed Malil initially, but he retrieved a second knife from the house and continued his assault. Heroic neighbors came to Beebe's rescue, taking away that second knife that the actor was using to stab her. Beebe was stabbed 20 times, including deep punctures to her lungs and her throat, which were life-threatening. She remains in the hospital but is expected to make a recovery. Other than a 2005 conviction for misdemeanor hit and run while driving under the influence, Malil, also known for starring in Budweiser commercials, has a relatively clean record.

In other celebrity legal news, Christian Bale will not face charges stemming from an alleged domestic assault on his mother and sister in a British hotel last month. British prosecutors ruled there was insufficient evidence for a conviction. Bale and his relatives refused to comment publicly on the matter, saying it was a personal issue.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
08.15.08