Suspected child molester died by hanging in East Bay jail

6-24-2016 California:

MARTINEZ — An inmate at the Contra Costa County jail in Martinez who died in a shower has been identified as suspected child molester Alexander Legaspi, authorities said Friday.

Legaspi, 57, of Bay Point, was found unconscious in a shower of the Martinez Detention Facility with a bed sheet tied to the shower frame Thursday. Legaspi was originally arrested July 6, 2015 on suspicion of 15 counts of child molestation.

A deputy found him about 7:15 a.m. after being notified by another inmate, spokesman Jimmy Lee said Thursday Medical staff responded. The deputy gave Legaspi CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

An autopsy was conducted Friday morning and the cause of his death was deemed to be by hanging, authorities said. Per county protocol, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office is investigating the death, along with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. ..Source.. by Angela Ruggiero

Alleged Child Molester Commits Suicide While in Custody

2-22-17 California:

Big Bear, California – San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department has released a statement stating that Richard Harold Todd, a 60 years old resident of Big Bear City, was taken into custody on suspicion of child molestation.

Todd was apprehended on Tuesday, February 21, 2017 at 1:20 p.m, without incident, when a search warrant was served on a residence located in the 300 block of East Country Club Blvd. He was then booked at Big Bear jail for Sexual Molestation of a Minor, Possession of Child Pornography and Possession of an Illegal Assault Rifle.

The jail deputy discovered Todd hanging in his cell on Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at 4:20 a.m. The deputy promptly cut the shoelaces, from which he was hanging, then proceeded to call for medical aid. The medical responders pronounced him dead on scene, Todd was housed alone in his cell at the time of the incident.

Sheriff’s Homicide Detail responded and are conducting the investigation. Riverside County Coroner will conduct the autopsy to determine the cause of death. ..Source.. by Ty Steel

Actor Jay Bowdy Commits Suicide On Facebook Live

1-25-17 California:

Bowdy's suicide occurred days after he was arrested on suspicion of his alleged involvement in a sex crime.

Frederick Jay Bowdy, a 33-year-old aspiring actor from Texas, killed himself in North Hollywood on Monday during a Facebook Live broadcast that was posted to his profile on the social media site, reports the LA Times. The video caused an out-of-state family member to contact the Los Angeles Police Department at around 5:30 AM, said Sgt. Tiffany Ljubetic, but officers could not reach him in time.

Bowdy's body was found in a car near Cumpston Street and Fulcher Avenue. Police believe that Bowdy was already dead when they tried to make contact with him. The video has been removed by Facebook.

On Thursday morning, Bowdy was arrested in Santa Clarita on suspicion of sexual assault. He was released on Friday upon posting $100,000 bail, said Los Angeles County Sgt. Janice Banks. No charges had been filed against him.

Inmate Who Committed Suicide in County Jail is Alleged Child Molester from Bay Point

6-24-16 California:

The man who committed suicide in the Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez this week is an alleged child molester from Bay Point, according to the Office of the Sheriff.

The deceased inmate has been identified as 57-year-old Alexander Legaspi of Bay Point. Legaspi was originally arrested by the Office of the Sheriff on July 6, 2015. He was being held on 15 felony counts of child molestation; his bail was set at $22,000,000, the Sheriff’s Office said.

On Thursday at about 7:15 a.m. during morning recreation time, an inmate notified a Deputy that there was an inmate passed out in the shower.

The Deputy immediately responded and found Legaspi slumped over inside the shower. A bed sheet was tied to the shower frame.

Moments after his child sexual assault conviction, an ex-teacher slit his own throat in court

10-20-16 California:

The first indication that something was amiss came when Jeffrey Scott Jones slumped suddenly in the Southern California courtroom.

His head struck the table in front of him, and shocked attorneys saw blood streaming from his neck.

Jones, 56, had been on trial in Orange County Superior Court on Wednesday, accused of sexually assaulting and raping a girl when she was 13, according to court documents.

A jury had just found the Huntington Beach man guilty when he pulled a standard razor blade out of his pocket and slit his throat, officials later said.

“Right after the judge asked if we wanted jurors polled, both attorneys said no, and then he took a razor out of his left pocket and slashed his throat,” senior deputy district attorney Heather Brown told CBS Los Angeles. “His head hit the table and I thought he fainted — but then I saw the blood and the razor on the table.”

Martinez: Inquest set for Discovery Bay child molester's in-custody death

11-15-15 California:

MARTINEZ -- Coroner's officials said they will hold a public inquest next month into a prisoner's in-custody death last June, the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office said Thursday.

Discovery Bay resident John Raymond Hansen, 54, died at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center on June 11, two days after Martinez Detention Facility staff found him unconscious in a housing module from an apparent hanging, authorities said.

Hansen was convicted of 10 felony counts of child molestation for sexually abusing three girls between the ages of 10 and 14 in Discovery Bay in 2006 though 2014.

There were other convictions for intimidating victim witnesses, and for assaulting a Contra Costa Sheriff's detective. According to court records, Hansen was drunk when he bit a detective on her hand when she was trying to interview him on the day of his 2014 arrest.

Coast Guard Auxiliary officer commits suicide amid child molestation allegations

9-29-15 California:

A former U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary vice commander charged last year with molesting two 16-year-old boys committed suicide this week following new allegations in a similar case, authorities said Tuesday.

Trent Corbett Kelly, 45, was discovered about 5:40 p.m. Monday when lifeguards and Redondo Beach firefighters reeled in the anchor of his boat and found him tied to it, police and coroner’s officials said.

Voter registration records listed a Redondo Beach address for Kelly but he previously lived in Manhattan Beach and Torrance.

Torrance police arrested Kelly on Sept. 15, according to county jail records. The arrest stemmed from a child molestation allegation that occurred several years ago, before the recent case that sent him to prison after a plea bargain with prosecutors, Torrance police Sgt. Paul Kranke said. He was released after posting $600,000 bail.

School Music Teacher Commits Suicide Before Sexual Abuse Trial, Former Students Say He Was Evading Justice

9-5-15 California:

The apparent suicide of Chris Ling, a violin teacher who was to be extradited to the United Kingdom from the United States to face sexual abuse charges against him, has many of his former students and alleged victims angry, saying justice was not served.

"I'm angry and annoyed, but I must admit that I'm also relieved that I don't have to go to court," a musician and former student of Ling's said to The Guardian.

She added: "This is Ling's final abuse of power. He was such a controlling person. Even his final gesture was controlling, in his own way. To me it's like he was saying: 'I'm not even going to allow the process to go forward.'"

Police say Chris Ling, 56, shot himself in his Los Angeles home on Tuesday as US marshals were getting ready to arrest him. He was facing 77 charges of sex offenses against 11 former students at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester.

Alleged Child Molester Shoots Himself At Home

9-2-15 California:

SHERMAN OAKS—Former violin teacher, Christopher Ling, shot himself at his house in Sherman Oaks on Tuesday, September 1 as U.S. Marshals attempted to serve a warrant for his arrest and extradition to Great Britain in relation to a high-profile child molestation case.

Ling, 56, was found dead in the bathroom of his home around 6 a.m., soon after a team of officers arrived at his doorstep, said Laura Vega of the U.S. Marshals Service.

An ongoing two-year case has been built against Ling by the Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service as 11 victims, who at the time were between the ages 9 and 15, came forward and delivered abuse statements to the Greater Manchester police (GMP). The majority of the women were Ling’s late pupils at the Chetham’s school of music in Manchester, England in the 1980s. The outside victim was a young girl who cleaned his house.

Ling coerced his ex-pupils into playing naked and further manipulated them by engaging in sexual acts and painfully spanking their derrière’s.

British authorities sought extradition assistance from the US State Department beginning 15 months ago, in 2014, after Ling refused to return to Britain for questioning and ignoring two warrants from a district judge. The US finally agreed to aiding the Britain’s Crown Prosecution Services several weeks back in the course to bring Ling to justice.

Escondido Murder Suspect Found Dead In Truck

3-10-15 California:

A high-risk sex offender believed to have killed a woman he considered to be his adoptive mother in the home they shared in Escondido was found dead Tuesday in Del Mar, according to police, who said he committed suicide in his pickup truck.

Joseph Andrew Stuber, 46, was found in the 1400 block of Stratford Court around 7 a.m.

"The face of the body was concealed, but after evidence technicians processed the scene, the identity of the body was confirmed to be that of the murder suspect, Joseph Stuber," according to an Escondido police statement. "Preliminary investigation shows that Stuber killed himself by asphyxiation."

Around 4:20 a.m., police announced Stuber was suspected of killing a woman with whom he lived at 2149 Mountain View Drive, and who was initially believed to have been his mother. Police later said Stuber was like an adoptive son to the woman, but the pair had no biological relation.

1984 murder suspect's widow files claim

12-18-2014 California:

Complaint contends police wrongly accused SDPD criminalist in Torrey Pines Beach slaying

SAN DIEGO — The widow of a retired San Diego police criminalist suspected in the 1984 mutilation murder of a teenager has filed a claim against the city, accusing detectives of investigative misconduct that she says eventually pushed her husband to suicide.

Kevin Brown, a 20-year veteran of the crime lab, became a suspect in the cold-case slaying of 14-year-old Claire Hough late last year, after a retesting of evidence in the case detected a small amount of his semen on a vaginal swab, police said. Investigators spent months trying to build their case against Brown, including searching his home, questioning him and administering a lie-detector test. Police said they were close to arresting him when he hanged himself from a tree in October.

At a news conference Thursday, Rebecca Brown said the police investigation wrongly focused on her husband and completely disregarded the logical explanation of cross-contamination as a reason why his DNA was found on the evidence.

“He was not a rapist and a killer. He was a quiet, good man who devoted his life to … helping people out by putting away bad guys doing his job,” Brown said. “… My husband didn’t do these things.”

Accused rapist dies while in custody

1-7-2015 California:

A San Marcos man jailed on suspicion of rape died of an apparent suicide while in custody, authorities said Wednesday.

Jason Edward Stey, 27, died at 10:10 p.m. Tuesday, according to San Diego County sheriff’s Lt. John Maryon.

Earlier in the day, the sheriff’s department said Stey — who allegedly beat, choked and raped a North County smoke-shop clerk at her workplace last weekend — was hospitalized after trying to kill himself in his jail cell.

A guard found Stey injured at Vista Detention Center Tuesday afternoon, according to sheriff’s public affairs. He was admitted to a trauma unit at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.

Officials declined to disclose the nature of Stey’s injuries.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Stey allegedly attacked a worker at Dab Central Smoke Shop in the 900 block of West San Marcos Boulevard.

Sex offender’s Griffith Park hanging appears to be suicide

1-5-2015 California:

The weekend death in Griffith Park of a 24-year-old man sentenced last year for attempting to meet minors for sex was an apparent suicide, the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office said Monday.

Passersby found Levi Moscowitz hanging from a tree in Griffith Park near the 2600 block of Commonwealth Canyon Avenue on Saturday, said coroner’s Lt. Fred Corral. Paramedics pronounced him dead at 8:20 a.m. An autopsy was pending.

Moscowitz pleaded no contest in late October to charges that resulted from a sting operation run by a Los Angeles Police Department detective who posed as a father with a 13-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter, according to the Jewish Journal.

The detective answered Moscowitz’s ad in Craigslist “seeking to participate in a sexual encounter with a family interested in incest,” according to the Journal.

Moscowitz was arrested in February when he went to Long Beach for the expected sexual encounter and instead encountered police, the Journal reported.

After pleading no contest in October to one felony count of meeting a minor for lewd purposes, Moscowitz was sentenced to one day in jail, a year of counseling and five years of probation, the Journal reported. ..Source.. by Debbie L. Sklar

LAPD detective commits suicide after molestation allegations, authorities say

12-5-2014 California:

A detective for the Los Angeles Police Department who once investigated sexual assault cases killed himself Thanksgiving morning after two relatives accused him of sexually abusing them, authorities said Friday.

The body of Dennis Derr, 52, a 17-year LAPD veteran, was found in his car in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Palmdale, law enforcement officials said. Derr died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Los Angeles County coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter.

Brian Hudson, a sergeant in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau, confirmed two adults made sexual abuse allegations against Derr shortly before he committed suicide. Hudson declined to provide any other details about the investigation into Derr, but other sheriff’s and LAPD sources with knowledge of the case said the two accusers were relatives of Derr.

Although he said the investigation was in its early stages, Hudson said that at this time there have been no other molestation allegations made against Derr.

LAPD detective commits suicide after molestation allegations, authorities say

12-5-2014 California:

A detective for the Los Angeles Police Department who once investigated sexual assault cases killed himself Thanksgiving morning after two relatives accused him of sexually abusing them, authorities said Friday.

The body of Dennis Derr, 52, a 17-year LAPD veteran, was found in his car in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Palmdale, law enforcement officials said. Derr died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Los Angeles County coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter.

Brian Hudson, a sergeant in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Special Victims Bureau, confirmed two adults made sexual abuse allegations against Derr shortly before he committed suicide. Hudson declined to provide any other details about the investigation into Derr, but other sheriff’s and LAPD sources with knowledge of the case said the two accusers were relatives of Derr.

Although he said the investigation was in its early stages, Hudson said that at this time there have been no other molestation allegations made against Derr.

Philip Derr, the detective's son, said in an interview that two adult men related to Derr recently confided in each other that Derr had molested them when they were teenagers. One of the relatives alleged that he had been abused repeatedly, while the other could recall one instance of abuse a few years ago, Philip Derr said.

Toxicology reports to determine what killed Turlock sex offender

10-14-2014 California:

Police are awaiting results of toxicology test results before declaring that suicide was the reason for the death of a Turlock man who had pled guilty to sexually abusing a young girl and awaiting sentencing before he was found dead at a Ceres church.

Robert Daniel Gomes, 34, was found dead at 12:44 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 in the parking lot at St. Jude's Catholic Church at 3824 Mitchell Road in Ceres. His body was inside a black Chevy Tahoe parked outside the church.

The death is a suspected suicide from drug overdose, but the investigation will remain open pending toxicology results, according to the Ceres Police Department.

In August Gomes entered guilty pleas to eight felony counts of sexual abuse, including continuous sexual abuse of a child, sodomy, oral copulation, and unlawful sexual intercourse.

Gomes was accused of assaulting a 13-year-old girl over a three year period while he was dating her mother. The victim reported the abuse when she was 16 years old.

Northern California man linked to killing hangs self

3-5-2014 California:

A cold case murder suspect identified through fingerprint and DNA evidence was found dead days after learning that he'd been linked to the crime.

Police told The San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/1caiqan) that 48-year-old Robert Hathaway hanged himself on Tuesday, four days after Fairfield police interviewed him about the killing and collected a DNA sample.

Hathaway was a suspect in the Aug. 31, 1983 murder and sexual assault of 40-year-old Priscilla Strole. The victim's 15-year-old son found Strole's body.

Police ran fingerprints and DNA from the crime scene through a new law enforcement database this year, and obtained a match for Hathaway, who was 17 at the time and a friend of the victim's son.

Hathaway in 1986 was arrested for burglary and his prints were entered into a database. ..Source.. by PressDemocrate

Livermore police: Child porn suspect killed by train

2-19-2014 California:

LIVERMORE -- A man suspected of using his Twitter account to possess and distribute child pornography died Tuesday when an Altamont Corridor Express train struck him on the tracks, authorities said.

Livermore resident Eric Hogue, 42, had been expected to surrender to police sometime Wednesday after police turned over their investigation to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, Officer Steve Goard said. Police made contact with Hogue's attorney Tuesday and were advised that Hogue would turn himself in, Goard said.

Hogue's identity was confirmed by the Alameda County Coroner's Office.

Investigators served a warrant Jan. 30 on Hogue's residence in the 600 block of N. Livermore Avenue. Police said Hogue admitted to using a Twitter account to possess and distribute child pornography. A forensic exam of his computer and cell phone over the next 2¿1/2 weeks corroborated Hogue's admission, police said.

Hogue was expected to be charged with two counts each of possessing and distributing child porn.

He was pronounced dead on the Union Pacific tracks after the collision, which happened around 5:40 p.m., according to authorities. Thomas Reeves, a spokesman for ACE, said a person walked in front of the train, and Mark Davis, a spokesman for Union Pacific, said the collision did not happen at a crossing.

Livermore police are continuing the investigation and hope to speak with the conductor of the train to hear his version of events, Goard said.

No one else was injured in the collision. ..Source.. by Rick Hurd

Former NASA Official Found Dead In Thailand With Rope Tied Around Genitals And Neck

5-26-2013 Thailand:

A former senior NASA official was found dead in Thailand earlier this week after having apparently attempted to perform a bizarre and dangerous sex act on himself.

Paul Milford Muller, 76, "was found with a rope tied around his genitals and waist and another rope tied around his neck, hanging from a knob of his bedroom door" inside a house in Tak province, according to Bangkok Post.

A California native and resident of Thailand, Muller appeared to have died from asphyxiation or from a heart attack after a drug overdose. Gawker describes his cause of death as "apparent autoerotic asphyxia." Police reported no signs of foul play.

Methamphetamine pills and paraphernalia as well as "several sex toys" were also found in the room.

Muller's body was found Tuesday, and police suspect he had been dead for about three days. Police were in the process of contacting his family to take charge of his body.

Having graduated from Cal State University, served on the Apollo Navigation Team and worked for 10 years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Muller had taken to writing during his retirement. His most recent book, Suicide Inc., is described on his website as a "romantic and erotic thriller." Other works include Flight of the Marbles and Circle of Ouroboros. ..Source..

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Ex-Nasa American found dead in Tak

5-26-2013 Thailand:

A 76-year-old American man has been found dead inside a house in Tak province, police said on Tuesday.

Paul Milford Muller (Photo from mullerpaulm.com)

Paul Milford Muller was a former official at the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) and the Jet Propulsion Lab, and the author of three books. ..Source..

Inmate committed suicide, sheriff’s says

11-14-2012 California:

An inmate charged with sex crimes with a minor committed suicide in jail, Riverside County sheriff’s officials said.

Corrections deputies found Larry Rivers, 46, unconscious and unresponsive in his cell at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside early Friday morning, Nov. 9, a sheriff’s news release stated Paramedics were called to administer first aid, but Rivers was later pronounced dead.

A preliminary investigation indicates that Rivers committed suicide, though the sheriff’s news release did not mention how the inmate died. There was no evidence of foul play or that Rivers was assaulted. An autopsy and coroner's review is pending.

Rivers was booked into the jail for investigation of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 on Oct. 31. ..Source.. by DAVID KECK