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Man Found Hanging From Griffith Park Tree Once Tried To Meet Minors For Sex
The body of a 24-year-old man who had previously been convicted for trying to meet minors for sex was found hanging from a tree in Griffith Park over the weekend.
People walking through the park discovered Levi Moscowitz's body near the 2600 block of Commonwealth Canyon Avenue on Saturday morning, according to City News Service. Paramedics responded to the report and declared him dead at the scene at 8:20 a.m.
The Los Angeles County Coroner's office said that it was an apparent suicide.
In Feb. 2013, Moscowitz had been arrested in Long Beach for trying to meet up with underage teens for sex in what turned out to be an undercover sting operation, the Jewish Journal reported. Detectives had answered an ad that Moscowitz placed on Craigslist, where he was looking to have a "sexual encounter" with a family that was interested in incest. An undercover LAPD detective led Moscowitz to believe that he was an interested father with a 13-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter. When Moscowitz showed up for their meeting, police arrested him.
Moscowitz pleaded no contest in October for the charge for meeting a minor for lewd purposes. He was sentenced to one day in jail, a year of counseling and five years of probation.
His attorney, Tiffany E. Feder, told the L.A. Times that Moscowitz was working to turn over a new leaf. "He was committed to his continued treatment and to leading a productive life," Feder said. "It devastates me that he’ll be remembered as some sort of sex offender."
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone, remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt, and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.
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