The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department revealed on Monday that the second Black man who was found dead in Democratic donor Ed Buck’s home back in January died from overdosing on methamphetamine.
According to CNN, the death of 55-year-old Timothy Dean has been ruled accidental, however, the investigation into his death is still ongoing as authorities are continuing interviews with “individuals who have come forward to provide information.”
This is the second time that a Black man had an “accidental” death in Buck’s West Hollywood home.
In July 2017, 26-year-old Gemmel Moore also died of an accidental methamphetamine overdose in Buck’s apartment. Buck was present at the time of both deaths. When Moore was killed, Buck faced grueling scrutiny, but was ultimately not charged in the young man’s death as the admissible evidence provided was unable to prove that he was responsible for Moore’s death or that he provided drugs to Moore or possessed drugs himself.
Dean’s death renewed suspicions toward the prominent political donor and renewed cries for justice in Moore’s death.
As CNN notes, Moore’s mother, LaTisha Nixon, filed a wrongful death against Buck, claiming that the 64-year-old injected her son with the lethal dose of meth, accusing Buck of being a wealthy white man who “had a predatory and injurious system of soliciting Black men and watching them cling to life.”
Nixon also released excerpts from a journal found among her son’s possessions in which the 26-year-old allegedly accused Buck of getting him addicted to drugs.
“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…” one entry read.
Last month, activists in Los Angeles delivered a petition signed by 30,000 people demanding that the District Attorney Buck be thoroughly investigated and indicted in the two men’s deaths.
“It’s time for [D.A.] Jackie Lacey to prosecute Ed Buck for the murders of both Timothy Dean and Gemmel Moore,” the petition read. “No other Black men should have to die before the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney take action.”
In January, Buck’s lawyer Seymour Amster maintained his client’s innocence, claiming that Buck was only helping “associates” who struggled with addiction.
“Yes, Ed does have individuals he associates with who have problems with drugs. He tries to talk them out of it. Sometimes they bring their problems into his apartment, and that’s where the problem is,” Amster said.
