Death of Black man found hanging from tree ruled a suicide, Los Angeles Sheriff's Department says
The death of Robert Fuller, a 24-year-old Black man found hanging from a tree in June in Palmdale, California, has been ruled a suicide, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department announced Thursday. Police said that following an investigation, "the medical examiner issued their final autopsy report and delivered it to the Sheriff's Department and deemed this case to be suicide."
The department said Fuller had prior reports of suicidal idealization and he had disclosed that "he did have a plan to kill himself."
According to LASD Commander Chris Marks, Fuller had purchased a rope, similar to the one found, a month before his death.
"Detectives identified a purchase from a local Dollar Tree store made on May 14, 2020, in which a red rope, consistent with the one used in the hanging was purchased with the card registered to Mr. Fuller," Marks said.
In the early morning hours of June 10, Fuller was found hanging from a tree at a park in Southern California.
Fuller's body was discovered by a passerby at around 3:30 a.m. across from Palmdale City Hall. LA County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said two paramedics were called to the scene, where they declared Fuller dead.
The preliminary ruling was that the death was a suicide.
Both the FBI Civil Rights Division and the California Attorney General's Office reviewed the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigation into Fuller's death.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.
