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Attorney For Robert Fuller’s Family Not Ready To Accept Sheriff’s Suicide Ruling
Friends of Robert Fuller shared images of him on Twitter. (Photo shared on Twitter)
The attorney for Robert Fuller’s family says all questions about his death “have not been answered,” despite the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department ruling the death a suicide yesterday.
While saying he will continue to investigate, Jamon Hicks said the private investigator his firm hired and the independent autopsy it commissioned have not turned up any evidence to suggest foul play.
“I have no information to suggest that anything was racially motivated,” Hicks said.
Fuller was found hanging from a tree in a Palmdale park on June 10.
[If you or a loved one needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Los Angeles County maintains a 24-hour bilingual hotline at 800-854-7771]
Hicks said Sheriff’s Commander Chris Marks called him yesterday before the department’s news conference and shared information that suggested Fuller was “possibly suffering from some type of mental illness.”
Marks told reporters that the Las Vegas Police Department reported that Fuller tried to take his own life there in February. He cited three other instances since 2017 at hospitals in California, Nevada and Arizona in which Fuller reported having suicidal thoughts.
“We have not had the opportunity to review those results,” Hicks said, adding that the family was unaware of the hospital visits.
Marks said the official autopsy found scars on Fuller’s wrist “consistent with suicidal intent.” Hicks said the independent autopsy also found marks on Fuller’s wrist, but said his team was unable to confirm “that he ever cut himself in a fashion to commit suicide.”
Hicks said he informed Fuller’s family of the official conclusion that he took his own life, and “prepared them that further investigation could likely yield a similar result.”
“It was a very difficult conversation to have,” he said.
READ OUR FULL COVERAGE:
- Sheriff Says Robert Fuller's Death Was A Suicide
- As Palmdale Grapples With A Hanging Death, Locals Recall The Area's Racist History
- LA Coroner Backs Away From Initial 'Suicide' Finding In Robert Fuller Hanging
- Palmdale Protesters Say Robert Fuller's Death Was A Lynching, Ask State To Investigate
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