Actor Randy Quaid was released from a Canadian prison last week, after he and his wife fled north to avoid attention stemming for charges that the couple were living illegally in house they once owned near Los Angeles.
A judge in Vancouver ruled Wednesday that Randy and Evi Quaid should be released so they can fight extradition charges to the US. The couple have shown documentation they said entitled them to Canadian citizenship.
The couple fled to Canada and claimed status as refugees, saying they were on a Hollywood “death list” and that “star-whackers” had killed some of their celebrity acquaintances, including David Carradine and Heath Ledger.
Randy Quaid starred with Ledger in Brokeback Mountain, and also known for his role in Independence Day and the National Lampoon Vacation films with Chevy Chase.
“We feel our lives are in danger,” Evi Quiad said in a statement through her attorney. “Randy has known eight close friends murdered in odd, strange manners … We feel that we are next.”
After six days in jail, the couple was released after Evi Quaid produced paperwork indicating her father was born in Canada, which would entitle her to claim citizenship for herself and her husband.
After being released, Evi Quaid said, “I’m just so proud because I love Canada, I truly do. Everybody has the same sense of humor as me.” She added, “It’s big, it’s beautiful … Just like my husband.”
The Quaids are wanted backing in Santa Barbara, Calif. to face charges for illegally living in a guesthouse of a home they owned at one time and causing $5,000 in damages.