Hanging Death Of Black Man Won't Be Whitewashed, Sheriff Vows

LOS ANGELES, CA — The death of a 24-year-old black man found hanging from a tree near Palmdale City Hall will be thoroughly investigated by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department with the help of the California attorney general's office and under the watchful eyes of the FBI, Sheriff Alex Villanueva vowed Monday.

A nation reeling from the sting of racial injustice is watching as well, acknowledged county officials at a press conference about the death of Robert Fuller, the second black man to be found hanging in a high desert public park within two weeks.

Fuller’s death, initially considered a suicide, triggered protests and calls for more thorough investigation after his family questioned the suicide. Neonazi groups have long been active in the region, and many in the community are skeptical of anything that could be perceived as a quick presumption of suicide. Villanueva sought to assure the community that his department is undertaking a painstaking investigation. Detectives are canvassing for witnesses and video evidence while conducting forensic tests upon the rope used to hang Fuller.

"It is in our interest to make sure that we leave no rock unturned," Villanueva said, promising full access to outside investigators.

Villanueva said he had called state Attorney General Xavier Becerra personally and also reached out to the FBI, whose civil rights division will also monitor the investigation.

"This death investigation obviously is of great concern to the community, not only of Palmdale, but throughout the nation. Robert Fuller was a young man in the prime of his life, and his death obviously is painful for many people,” Villanueva said, while also acknowledging the pressure triggered by the protests surrounding the police custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. “I know the recent events behind the murder of George Floyd causes a lot of people to rethink their relationship with the local law enforcement, but we have been at this for 170 years. We have longstanding ties and, in fact, we are part of the community… That doesn’t change overnight because of what happened in another state.”

Fuller was found with a rope around his neck about 3:40 a.m. Wednesday in Poncitlan Square, across from Palmdale City Hall. Authorities initially said the death appeared to be a suicide, although an official cause of death has not yet been made.

“The initial report appeared to be consistent with a suicide, but we felt it prudent to role that back and continue to look deeper,” said Medical Examiner-Coroner Dr. Jonathan Lucas. “What would have led us to believe that the death might have been a suicide at the beginning was more the lack of any evidence that there was any foul play at the time. That is about all I can say. He was hanging, and there was no other information to suggest there was foul play at the time.”

Lucas told reporters Monday that an autopsy was conducted Friday, but the cause of death has been deferred pending further investigation and toxicology tests. Lucas promised that no finding as to the cause of death would be made until all of the evidence is in hand.

"It is a tragic sad death ... we are doing everything we can to find out what happened," Lucas said.

Hundreds of residents have taken part in vigils and protests in the days since, many condemning what they saw as a rush to judgment to proclaim Fuller's death a suicide without examining the possibility of foul play. Some deemed his death a lynching.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau Capt. Kent Wegener said forensic analysis would be performed on the rope used in the hanging and any video evidence closely reviewed, though he did not indicate whether any video had yet been found. City officials said last week there was none.

Fuller's medical history, including during time living in Arizona and Nevada, will also be reviewed, Wegener said. A case manager with the Department of Public Social Services who was assigned to Fuller -- for reasons that have not yet been revealed -- will also be interviewed.

Lt. Brandon Dean said investigators had been planning for a meeting with Fuller's family that had been delayed, but were hoping to sit down with all available relatives soon.

Fuller's sister has rejected the idea that her brother might have taken his own life.

"We want to find out the truth on what really happened," Diamond Alexander said Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times. "Everything they told us is not right. We just want the truth. My brother was not suicidal. He was a survivor."

Hundreds of people gathered at Palmdale City Hall on Saturday to demand answers about Fuller's death.

"The city of Palmdale is joining the family (of Fuller) and the community's call for justice, and we do support a full investigation into his death," Palmdale Public Information Officer John Mlynar said Saturday. "We will settle for nothing less than a thorough accounting of this matter."

"The city has already reached out to Mr. Fuller's family, offering help and support, and will do everything possible to assist Mr. Fuller's family during this difficult time as a complete vetting of his death is investigated," Mlynar said.

The city joined the Fuller family in the call for an independent investigation and autopsy, he said.

Various elected officials over the weekend called for Becerra to get involved in the case.

"I asked California State Attorney General Xavier Becerra to conduct an independent investigation into the death of Mr. Robert Fuller, who was discovered hanging from a tree in the city of Palmdale," county Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. "The attorney general, as the lead attorney and law enforcement official for the state of California, will lend additional expertise and oversight into this important investigation and provide the community with the answers they deserve."

Barger added, "It is my hope that our collective efforts will help to support those struggling and grieving surrounding the circumstances of this tragedy."

State Sen. Scott Wilk and Assemblyman Tom Lackey, both Republicans from the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys, also called for Becerra to investigate the death.

On May 31 in Victorville, which is about 50 miles east of Palmdale, the body of another Black man was found hanging from a tree.

Malcolm Harsch, 38, was found at 7 a.m., hanging from a tree near a homeless encampment.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has made a preliminary determination that his death was also a suicide and that no foul play was involved, although the case remains under investigation.

And, like Fuller's family, Harsch's relatives are doubtful he took his own life.

"He didn't seem to be depressed to anyone who truly knew him," Harsch's family told reporters. "Everyone who knew our brother was shocked to hear that he allegedly hung himself and don't believe it to be true. The explanation of suicide does not seem plausible."

In Palmdale on Friday afternoon, as many as 100 angry residents attended a march and rally in the area where Fuller's body was found. Dozens later attended a news conference at City Hall, shouting down local officials and blasting them for quickly issuing public statements labeling the death a suicide.

Palmdale Mayor Steve Hofbauer worked to calm the crowd, which hurled expletives at him and sheriff's Capt. Ron Shaffer.

"We're working hard to try to figure out exactly what happened," Hofbauer told the shouting crowd.

"I can't pull it out of a crystal ball what the coroner and the sheriff's department is going to find here," Hofbauer said.

He said investigators were "trying to figure out what was going on with Mr. Fuller the last few weeks. Who were those people? Who was he with?"

The deaths of Fuller and Harsch come on the heels of a national conversation about racism in the United States in the aftermath of the death of Floyd in Minneapolis, and the circumstances evoke the country's sordid history of lynchings.

Anyone with information about Fuller's death was urged to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.

A virtual town hall is scheduled from 2-4 p.m. Monday in which residents of Palmdale and Lancaster can discuss the death and the investigation. Villanueva will co-host the event, along with captains from the two cities' sheriff's stations. To register, go to bit.ly/2XQ1JgF.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.