Golden Krust founder Lowell Hawthorne committed suicide on Saturday, leaving many to question what was going on in his life. Now, the New York Post is now reporting that Hawthorne had fears that federal agents were investigating him for millions in tax debt.
According to their report, surveillance camera showed the 57-year-old shooting himself in the head at his Golden Krust factory in the Bronx. The Post also found that Hawthorne had a pending class-action suit in the Manhattan federal court alleging he cheated 100-plus workers at the Golden Crust plant out of overtime pay.
Friend and Golden Krust franchise owner, Al Alston called his suicide “more than unexpected — it’s out of character.”
“He was always an upbeat guy,” Alston said. “We’ve been in a lot of tough jams and situations, but he was always a person who’d say, ‘We’ll get out of it.’ And we would get out of it. He was so happy about [the recent birth of] his granddaughter.”
Hawthorne who leaves behind a wife, three sons, a daughter and young grandchildren employed dozens of family members.