Former gay porn star Ryan Idol – real
name Marc Anthony Donais – has asked for a new trial of his 2011
attempted murder conviction.
Last September, Idol was convicted of
attempting to murder a former girlfriend by smashing a toilet tank
lid over her head during a heated September 5, 2009 altercation in
her Sacramento, California home.
The 46-year-old Idol's sentencing
hearing is set for September 21.
He has filed a motion for a retrial,
claiming “ineffective assistance of counsel.”
“I just hope I can put this whole
unfortunate episode behind me and get on with my life,” Idol
said in a statement. “I've made some big mistakes and let
myself and others down, but I'm always amazed at how many people
remember me and wish me well. My gay fans, in particular, are an
amazing source of support and I really appreciate their thoughts and
prayers.”
During last year's trial, the woman
testified that Idol knocked on the door of the West Sacramento condo
they once shared while she was taking a bath and immediately told her
he wanted to kill her upon entering the home. Idol told jurors that
he thought she had pulled a knife on him and that he grabbed the
toilet tank lid and smashed it on her head out of self defense.
Idol's 1990 debut in Idol Eyes
kicked off his gay porn career and helped make Director Matt
Sterling's Huge Video one of the best known and most successful gay
pornographic production companies.
He would continue to headline
big-budget porn films for the next six years. In 1999, Idol made his
stage debut, starring in the play Making Porn. He made his
Broadway debut in the 2007 revival of Terrence McNally's The Ritz.