Raja Jackson’s merciless assault on Syko Stu at a KnokX Pro event has many people claiming he should be charged with attempted murder. However, it appears that it will be very unlikely for Jackson to be convicted of attempted murder.
While speaking on Podcast Heat Wrestling, ex-WWE star and Harvard-trained lawyer David Otunga explained the possible charges Raja Jackson could face after his assault on Syko Stu.
Otunga said the worst-case scenario is that Raja could be arrested and charged with battery and assault with intent to cause serious bodily harm. He added that California law includes a felony called mayhem, which can carry a sentence of up to eight years in prison. If prosecutors choose to stack these charges, the consequences could become even more severe.
“In terms of Raja, worst-case scenario, he’s arrested and probably going to be charged with battery and assault to commit serious bodily harm. There’s even a charge he could be hit with called mayhem in California, and that’s a felony that carries up to eight years in prison. So the stiffest consequence would be eight years, and they might even stack these charges on top of each other.”
On the question of attempted murder, Otunga believes that charge would be much harder to prove. To convict someone of attempted murder, prosecutors must show clear intent to kill. This means they would have to prove that Raja entered the ring planning to end Syko Stu’s life. Otunga noted that Raja’s own words, like saying he planned to “F him up” but not kill him, do not show that intent.
While Raja’s actions might look violent enough to raise questions, Otunga said it would still be very difficult to prove that Raja meant to kill. He believes the case is more about reckless behavior that could have caused death, not murder. Otunga believes Raja’s aim was to make a statement and knock Stu out, not to commit homicide.
Otunga said that if Raja has a good lawyer, he will likely avoid an attempted murder conviction. However, charges like battery, assault, and mayhem are much more likely to stick.
“As for attempted murder, I’ll tell you, attempted murder is a lot harder to prove than people think. Could he be charged with it? Yes, but it will be difficult to get a conviction and prosecutors would be rolling the dice. First, there has to be a specific intent—this is a legal term—specific intent to kill and end someone’s life. That means when Raja got into the ring, he had to specifically intend to kill Syko Stu. That’s difficult to prove even by his statements. He talks about punching him, saying, ‘I’m not gonna F him up too bad but I’m gonna F him up.’ Nowhere does he say anything about killing.
Yes, you can say his actions suggest otherwise, but it’s still difficult to prove that his mental state was, ‘I’m gonna kill this guy before I head out.’ I don’t see it. So I believe it could be reckless conduct that could have caused death, but that wasn’t his goal. His goal was about making a statement and knocking the guy out, but it was not homicide. So it’s a very difficult point to prove, and if Raja has a halfway decent attorney, he can avoid that. But the other charges fit accurately.”
This comes after Rampage Jackson confirmed Raja Jackson is waiting for an arrest warrant and Rampage denied claims that his son’s actions were attempted murder.
The KnokX Pro attack shocked wrestling fans and led to calls for tough punishment, but the law needs proof of intent, not just violence. Based on David Otunga’s view, Raja Jackson will likely face serious felony charges with long prison terms, but probably not an attempted murder charge.
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September 13, 2025 7:47 am
