Man who tried to kill ‘Power Rangers’ star left chilling calendar note

A man who brought an “arsenal” of weapons to a ComicCon in 2017 to kill Power Rangers star Jason David Frank left a disturbing note on his cellphone calendar indicating his criminal intentions.

The murder plot is revisited in detail on “Dark Side of the Power Rangers,” the third episode of Investigation Discovery’s new docuseries, Hollywood Demons, which airs on April 7. Frank was attending the Phoenix ComicCon on May 25, 2017, when a 29-year-old man named Matthew Sterling showed up dressed as the Marvel comics character The Punisher and began to raise red flags among those he interacted with.

“I said, ‘Hey, you might wanna keep a lookout for this guy, because he’s saying crazy things,” remembered Jason Faunt, the actor who played the Red Ranger on season 7 of the popular TV franchise. “And sure enough, they were able to apprehend him.”

Authorities were stunned by the number of weapons Sterling concealed on his person when he was searched. What he revealed when later questioned was even more shocking.

Frank first appeared on the debut season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993. As the cool new kid in town, his Tommy Oliver was transformed into one of the core team of rangers’ (Amy Jo Johnson, David Yost, Austin St. John, Walter Emanuel Jones, and Thuy Trang) primary adversaries: the fearsome Green Ranger. Frank’s electric performance and sharp martial arts skills made him an instant fan favorite, and he spent more time on the series than any other actor.

After five seasons and two films, Frank became a regular fixture of the fan convention circuit, even creating a YouTube channel chronicling his event appearances. His close friend Aaron Schoenke remembered that the actor “had this thing called ‘Last Fan Standing,’ where he would wait until everyone had gotten what they wanted. He would change his flights, change his hotels, just so he could accommodate everyone.”

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But Frank’s loyalty to the fans bred a reciprocal devotion that could turn dark. Authorities revealed that Sterling carried with him into the 2017 ComicCon body armor, pepper spray, a combat knife, a 12-gauge shotgun, two .45 handguns, a revolver, a stun gun, and a set of throwing stars.” When his home was searched, police uncovered evidence that he had been perfecting a kill shot.

Police revealed that after combing through the Phoenix resident’s phone that he had a calendar alert set for that day which read, “Kill JDF at ComicCon.”

In a video of Sterling’s initial interrogation by police that appears in Hollywood Demons, he responds when asked what “JDF” means, “Jason David Frank.” One of the investigators asks, “Can you take me into why you would want to make a scheduled event to kill JDF?” Sterling responds, “I always do that because he’s a cocaine addict.”

Frank died by suicide at the age of 49 on Nov. 20, 2022. Though a toxicology report later revealed that there were drugs in Frank’s system at the time of his death, it’s unclear how Sterling developed his insinuation against the actor, which also included an allegation that Frank dealt cocaine.

“I definitely do not care for him,” Sterling told investigators. “I can’t stand him. He’s not a Power Ranger, he’s evil…. I have a hatred for what he is. He’s a corrupted Power Ranger.” When asked if Sterling would “feel any remorse” if Frank had died that day, Sterling responded, “No, no remorse.”

Sterling was ultimately charged with attempted first-degree murder, attempted aggravated assault, aggravated assault of an officer, resisting arrest, misconduct with body armor, and carrying a weapon into a prohibited place.

He was found “guilty except insane” in a 2020 trial for his crimes and sentenced to 25 years in the psychiatric wing at Arizona State Hospital.

“Dark Side of the Power Rangers,” the third episode of Investigation Discovery’s new series Hollywood Demons, premieres Monday, April 7, airing from 9-11 p.m. ET on ID and streaming on Max.