A white former police detective from Kansas City, Kansas, was found dead Monday of an apparent suicide on the day his federal civil rights trial was set to begin for alleged sexual abuse of black women over decades, authorities said.
An arrest warrant had been issued when Roger Golubski, 71, failed to appear at a federal courthouse in Topeka on the first day of jury selection. Law enforcement officers received a 911 call and responded to Golubski’s home in the Kansas City suburb of Edwardsville, where police reported he suffered a fatal gunshot wound with no evidence of foul play, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
State authorities declined to comment on the manner of his death until the autopsy is completed, but federal law enforcement officials told NBC News it was an apparent suicide.
Top Justice Department officials also confirmed his death in a statement.
‘This case involved extremely serious allegations, and that is true It is always difficult when a case cannot be fully and fairly heard in a public trial and cannot be weighed and determined by a jury,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke and U.S. Attorney Kate Brubacher for the District of Kansas . The case may be over, but the lasting impact on all individuals and families involved remains. We wish them peace and the opportunity for healing as they come to terms with this development and ask that they are all treated with respect and that their privacy is respected.”
Officials did not comment on his manner of death. His attorney and local law enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Golubski was charged with federal civil rights crimes in 2022 after he was accused of exploiting Black women for sex and accusing people of crimes he said they did not commit.
Golubski, who retired in 2010 after 35 years with the Kansas City Police Department, pleaded not guilty to six counts of deprivation of civil rights. Federal investigators said the case was related to the rape of one woman from 1998 to 2001 and another woman from 1999 to 2002 while he worked at the department. He was indicted in a separate case along with three others for running a sex trafficking ring that held women captive between 1996 and 1998.
Golubski had been under house arrest as he received regular dialysis treatments and faced up to life in prison if convicted.
Christopher Joseph, Golubski’s attorney, told a judge when his client failed to appear in court Monday morning that he was “despondent” about the media attention on his case.
The Kansas City Police Department has come under scrutiny in recent years over allegations of corruption and civil rights violations. Activists have called for a broader federal investigation, especially in light of alleged abuses over decades under Golubski.
Outside the courthouse, before it was announced that Golubski had died, protesters gathered to demand justice in the case.
After learning of his death, Cheryl Pilate, an attorney for a man wrongfully convicted in a 1994 double murder case linked to Golubski, told reporters that a full investigation into what happened Monday is warranted. In February, federal prosecutors had asked a judge to revoke his home confinement privilege after he was accused of violating terms by dining out without permission. However, the judge refused to do this.
Jay Z’s Team Roc, the social justice arm of his entertainment company Roc Nation, filed a lawsuit last month accusing Kansas City of violating public records laws by failing to provide law enforcement documents related to claims of police abuse and misconduct .
Team ROC director Dania Diaz said the trial would have provided meaningful accountability, and that Golubski’s accusers and the community must continue to be heard.
“The truth was always going to come out in court, but today’s development is certainly a tragic end to a devastating story for a local community that still deserves answers and healing,” Diaz said.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255text HOME to 741741 or stop by SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
