A former Chicago Bears All-Pro cornerback has been arrested in Phoenix on a murder charge, police sources said.
Michael Richardson, 59, who won a Super Bowl with the Bears in 1985, was arrested Wednesday on a second-degree murder charge in connection with the shooting death of 47-year-old Ronald Like, several police sources in KNXV.
Like, who was discovered by police at an intersection, was rushed to a critical condition hospital with a gunshot wound and then died. Phoenix police investigated the shooting death as a homicide, the Republic of Arizona reported.
Richardson, who lives in a gated community in East Mesa, also had a felony warrant for his arrest, according to court documents cited by KNXV.
Maricopa County Prison records show Richardson was detained without bail on charges of murder, possession of a weapon by a prohibited person and possession of a dangerous drug for sale. According to records, he will have to appear in court by court order on Jan. 6.
It is unclear whether Richardson has hired a lawyer who could comment on the charges he faces.
Richardson, a native of Compton, California, was the starting corner of the Bears defensive caulk in 1985 and was named a second-team All-Pro in 1986. He also appeared in the team’s iconic “Super Bowl Shuffle” video. , KNXV. reported.
“I’m LA Mike and I play it great, they don’t sneak me in because I’m not a fool,” Richardson rhymed in the song.
Prior to being drafted by the Bears in 1983, Richardson was a prominent American at Arizona State University.
Wednesday’s arrest is the latest in a series of legal issues for Richardson. He had previously been arrested twice this year by Phoenix police for alleged drug possession and was arrested in Maricopa County in 2018 on charges of theft and possession of methamphetamine, crack cocaine and heroin, according to KNXV.
In 2010, ESPN reported that Richardson was released from prison and that his 13-year prison sentence was reduced to more than ten years after a California appellate court ruled he did not violate the terms. of his parole in a 2008 conviction for selling narcotics.
The incident led to Richardson’s 21st conviction for drug-related charges at the time – and his fifth felony in 16 years, ESPN reported.
Legal problems for Richardson began just three years after his last NFL season in San Francisco in 1989, when he was convicted of two drug offenses and sentenced to four years in prison, he reported. ESPN.
According to court transcripts, Richardson’s attorney said Richardson’s “deep drug addiction” began when he was just 13 years old.