26-year-old Gemmel Moore was the first known victim to bring public awareness to the heinous crimes of serial predator Ed Buck. Moore’s mother LaTisha Nixon, went public after Moore’s death, warning the public and authorities that Buck was a serial predator and pushed for his arrest.
Moore’s journal was released back to Nixon, along with the rest of his belongings, after his naked body was recovered from Buck’s West Hollywood apartment in July 2017.
In the journal, Moore shares his experiences which includes detailing how Buck injected him with meth. At the time of Moore’s death, various drug substances were scattered around Buck’s apartment, noted by the coroner.
Buck is said to seek pay for play activities via gay dating apps such as Grindr. In addition to having a preference of dealing with Black men, many are usually HIV positive and in financial binds.
An investigation was launched into Moore’s death, but was silently closed a day before the year anniversary of his passing. The cries to arrest Buck seemingly fell on deaf ears.
In January 2019, 55-year old Timothy Dean was recovered from Buck’s apartment. Protestors gathered on the lawn in front of his apartment building, with all major local networks filming.
Members of the trans and gay LGBTQ communities called again for Buck’s arrest, outraged that another Black man had been recovered from his house. Although Buck has now been arrested after another near fatal overdose in his apartment September 11, he only faces five years in prison under the current charges.
Official joint statement From the Family of Gemmel Moore, Timothy Dean and their Lawyers
“Ed Buck finally faces criminal charges in the federal courts that squarely hold him criminally responsible for the deaths of Gemmel Moore and Timothy Dean and for the harm he has inflicted upon several other Black gay men.
While their families, friends, and community are very pleased with the federal prosecutor’s decision to bring these charges against Buck, the filing of these federal criminal charges in no way absolves Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey of her poorly conducted investigation and prosecution of Ed Buck.
We fully expect Jackie Lacey to expand the State’s criminal complaint against Ed Buck by adding two counts of 1st-degree felony murder. Lacey charged Ed Buck with furnishing drugs and operating a drug den. Both furnishing drugs and operating a drug den are felony offenses in California. Both Moore and Dean died inside of Buck’s drug den when Buck furnished drugs to them. Both deaths were the reasonably foreseeable result of Ed Buck’s felonious conduct.
All of the elements of felony murder under California law are met in this case, and Lacey has an obligation to amend her felony complaint against Buck to include felony murder counts for the deaths of Moore and Dean. Lacey also has an obligation to amend her felony complaint beyond Buck’s criminal acts against Moore, Dean, and Joe Doe.
The affidavit filed by the Department of Justice lists at least 10 other victims against whom Buck committed a violent sex crime. Lacey’s felony complaint must vindicate all of Ed Buck’s victims accordingly.We also fully expect Jackie Lacey to retract the false statements she made during the September 19, 2019 press conference at the Hall of Justice.
Lacey falsely claimed that her team worked diligently and carefully to find and speak with witnesses over the course of the last 2 years.
This is untrue. Our team of activists had to personally escort witnesses to the LASD’s office and pressure them into recording our witnesses’ statements. We later discovered, in May of 2019, that Lacey was not even aware that these reports existed. Lacey falsely claimed we presented witnesses whose statements were comprised entirely of hearsay. This is also untrue. Each and every one of the witnesses we presented to the County was directly and disturbingly victimized by Ed Buck.
Lacey falsely claimed our witnesses lawyered up and refused to speak with her team. This too is untrue. Lacey’s team went behind our backs to surprise witnesses at their homes and speak with them in secret after we specifically instructed Lacey’s team that we wanted to be present as counsel during any interviews causing the witnesses to not want to deal with the investigators.
We look forward to Lacey’s amendment of the State’s felony complaint to her retraction of the many false statements she made at the September 19, 2019 press conference.”
Via: Jasmyne Cannick
