“It’s time for [D.A.] Jackie Lacey to prosecute Ed Buck for the murders of both Timothy Dean and Gemmel Moore,” the petition reads. “No other Black men should have to die before the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney take action.”
In January, Timothy Dean was discovered dead in the West Hollywood home of Ed Buck, raising scrutiny and further outrage, considering that Dean is the second Black man in as many years to be found dead in the prominent political donor’s home. On Tuesday, NBC News reports, activists held a press conference and delivered the petition demanding that Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey, as well as the Sheriff’s Department, do more to look into the connections in the deaths of the two men. As the news site notes, this development is an escalation of pressure that activists and members of the community have been putting on officials and Buck. Buck first faced scrutiny following the July 2017 death of 26-year-old Gemmel Moore, who was also found dead in his apartment. Moore’s death was ultimately ruled accidental due to a methamphetamine overdose, and Buck was never charged in his death. However, shortly after Dean’s death, Moore’s mother, LaTisha Nixon, shared entries from her deceased son’s journal, which noted “I’ve become addicted to drugs and the worst one at that. Ed Buck is the one to thank. He gave me my first injection of crystal meth…” A toxicology report on Dean has not yet been released. However, Buck has not been arrested or charged in his death either. Back in January, Buck’s lawyer, Seymore Amster, claimed that he was only helping his “associates” who struggled with drugs.