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MTV Star Collapses, Screams When Found Guilty In Sex Case

Vincent Margera Carried From Courtroom After Verdict Read

POSTED: 7:18 am MDT October 31, 2007
UPDATED: 6:10 pm MDT October 31, 2007

Vincent Roy Margera, who plays the MTV character "Don Vito" on "Viva La Bam" was found guilty Wednesday on two of three felony counts of sex assault on a child and reacted violently when the verdict was announced.

Witnesses said Margera collapsed on the courtroom floor and started screaming when the verdict was read in a Jefferson County courtroom.

Witnesses said he yelled, "I can't go to prison for the rest of my life. Just kill me," as he thrashed about on the floor. "I didn't do anything."

"He was very close to rail at the front of courtroom," said Jefferson County spokeswoman Pam Russell. "He was struggling -- fighting. "(The deputies) were trying to talk him down. He was resistant."

Margera reacted immediately after the first guilty verdict was read.

"Just angry statements, including expletives. And he continued to sort of flail. And more deputies came into the courtroom and they're trying to subdue him," Russell said.

After the second guilty verdict was read, Margera was still on the floor.

"It was escalating. Mr. Margera was still agitated ... yelling, moving around. And the deputies are continuing to try and stop him. He's really struggling and fighting and they're just trying to talk him down. You can tell they're very gentle with him and he was resisting," Russell said.

It took eight Jefferson County deputies to restrain him and he had to be carried out of court by them.

"You have defendants that are found guilty that do have very emotional outbursts. This was, in my career, about as extreme as I've seen," said Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey.

Margera, 51, was accused of fondling three girls during a public appearance at the Colorado Mills Mall skate park last year. He faced three felony charges after several girls said he grabbed their breasts or buttocks. He was found not guilty on one count.

The two victims are 12 and 14.

"These young victims did a great job in court. This is always difficult for children victims. I really admire their courage. As for the one not guilty verdict, the jury apparently didn't believe we'd met our burden in proving the count beyond a reasonable doubt," Storey said. "I guess the message that I want to send is, at least in Jefferson County, we're going to be very aggressive."

Margera will be sentenced on Dec. 20. He could be sentenced anywhere from two to six years in prison on each count. Margera could also receive probation for a minimum of 10 years, up to life.

The guilty verdict means he must register as a sex offender in Colorado.

During the trial, two female police officers who arrested him said he called them "psycho lesbian bitches." His lawyer said Margera thought the arrest was a prank and he was acting in character.

The prosecutor said Margera was so intoxicated during the Lakewood appearance that he "peed his pants."

His defense attorney, Pamela Mackey, has said Margera was in character during the public appearance, playing the outrageous uncle on the show.

"Viva La Bam" was a reality television series that starred his nephew, professional skateboarder Bam Margera. The show was a spin-off from MTV's "Jackass," in which Margera and most of the main cast had appeared to perform or watch foolish stunts being performed.

He was commonly referred to as "Don Vito," in the show because it referred to his near-unintelligible speech, reminiscent of Don Vito Corleone of "The Godfather." Many times, subtitles had to be used because Margera couldn't be understood. The show ran for five seasons, according to MTV.com.

As a result of his 2006 Colorado arrest, the stunts involving Don Vito were removed from the theatrical and DVD release of "Jackass Number Two."

On the MTV.com Web site, Margera completed the sentence "Life with Bam is...." by adding "out of control."

Margera's defense attorney, Pamela Mackey, also represented NBA star Kobe Bryant when he was accused of rape in Colorado. The charge was later dismissed.


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