Investigator Stole Gold Crucifix Off Dead Man's Neck: LA County DA

LOS ANGELES, CA — A county medical examiner investigator on Friday pleaded not guilty to stealing items from dead people, which prosecutors say included an incident in which the man snatched a gold crucifix off a man's neck after he had a fatal heart attack.

Adrian Muñoz, 36, of Los Angeles pleaded no contest to one felony count of grand theft and one misdemeanor count of petty theft. He's due back in court for sentencing June 5, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Muñoz is expected to be sentenced to two years of formal probation, serve six months in county jail, permanently resign from the Peace Officer Standards and Training and pay restitution to the victims' families, prosecutors said.

Muñoz worked as an investigator for the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner, which saw him respond to deaths and help investigate their cause.

In January 2023, Muñoz responded to a report of a warehouse worker who died of a heart attack while on the job in South Los Angeles. Surveillance footage showed Muñoz removing a gold crucifix necklace from the man's neck and placing it in his medical bag without documenting or returning the item, prosecutors said.

During a subsequent search of Muñoz's desk at his workplace, investigators recovered rare antique coins along with a receipt in the name of another man whose death Muñoz had investigated in November 2022, prosecutors said.

There is something especially appalling about stealing from the dead. During a time when dignity and respect should be absolute, Mr. Muñoz chose greed," District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. "Today's plea is a step toward justice, but it cannot undo the additional trauma inflicted on families who were already dealing with loss."