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LA Coroner Backs Away From Initial 'Suicide' Finding In Robert Fuller Hanging

Photo shared by Diamond Alexander on a GoFundMe page set up in Robert Fuller's memory.

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L.A. County officials are no longer saying the hanging death of 24-year-old Robert Fuller in Palmdale was a likely suicide.

That preliminary finding by the county coroner touched off an uproar, as community members questioned how officials could know so quickly.

On Monday, Coroner Jonathan Lucas said the initial finding was based on the fact that there was no evidence of foul play, but now he believes "that we should look into it a little more deeply and carefully, just considering all the circumstances at play.”

Fuller was found hanging from a tree last Wednesday, less than two weeks after 38-year-old Malcom Harsch was found in similar circumstances in Victorville, another high desert city 50 miles east of Palmdale.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra said his office will assist the sheriff’s department in the Fuller investigation. The FBI will monitor the inquiry.

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