man ends his life in Texas courtroom
Photo Credit: Google Maps/Denton County

Man Kills Himself In Court After Being Convicted For Sexually Assaulting A Child

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A Texas man ended his own life in a courtroom after he was convicted of sexually abusing children earlier this week.

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As the jury was reading their verdicts in a Denton County courtroom, Edward Leclair was seen drinking a cloudy substance from a plastic water bottle at the counsel table. He was convicted of five counts of child sexual assault and taken to a holding cell after the guilty verdict was read. However, an investigator who noted Leclair drinking the liquid told a bailiff to check on him, and he was found unconscious in the cell moments later.

“I looked over and noticed him drinking. His hand was shaking. At the time, I thought it was shaking because of the verdict. Then he kept drinking and drinking. Shortly after entering the holdover cell, he started vomiting, and emergency services were called,” said defense lawyer Mike Howard.

“I saw him being taken out on the gurney. His color and pallor didn’t look good – gray – and then he was taken to the hospital. Beyond that, that’s all I can say.”

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Howard said he didn’t see Leclair put anything in the bottle before the verdict. “We weren’t looking for that. Frankly, no one was looking for that,” he added. Leclair was transported to a nearby hospital but later died. An autopsy will be performed as the cause of death is unknown.

Prosecutor Jamie Beck said this is the first time they’ve seen anything like this in the courtroom.

“We have had people who faint, have heart attacks and had a shooting, but never in my 27 years have we had something like this happen,”

According to CBS News, a Bosnian Croat military chief performed a similar act by drinking poison during the final hearing at a United Nations war crimes tribunal.

Social media reacted to the case, saying he couldn’t handle the consequences of his actions.

Viewpoints on the case were unanimous, with Leclair taking the “easy” way out after receiving his verdict for sexually assaulting children. Additionally, no one sympathized with his actions and felt only felt empathy for his victims.

 

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