TOPEKA, Kan. – A former police detective in Kansas who died in an apparent suicide as he was about to face trial for allegedly sexually assaulting and terrorizing weak ladies for many years wasn’t alleged to have a gun whereas he was below home arrest.
Police discovered Roger Golubski useless on his again porch Monday morning after a neighbor reported listening to a gunshot, and there have been no indications of foul play, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation mentioned in a press release. The decide’s order permitting Golubski to be below home arrest mentioned he couldn’t “possess a firearm, damaging system, or different weapon.”
Golubski’s demise — simply as jury choice was to start on the federal courthouse in Topeka — raised questions on why the 71-year-old wasn’t behind bars, and the way a gun got here to be at his house in Edwardsville, exterior Kansas Metropolis, Kansas.
“We are going to look into how he obtained the firearm as part of the demise investigation,” mentioned Melissa Underwood, a bureau spokeswoman.
Why was Golubski on trial?
Golubski, as soon as a extremely regarded detective in Kansas Metropolis, was charged in 2022 with six felony counts of violating the civil rights of ladies and ladies. Prosecutors say he sexually abused them and generally threatened to throw them or their family in jail in the event that they did not comply.
The trial was to give attention to two ladies. One mentioned Golubski started sexually abusing her when she was in center college. The opposite mentioned he started abusing her after her twin sons have been arrested. Prosecutors mentioned seven different ladies have been planning to testify that Golubski abused or harassed them as nicely. Advocates for the ladies consider there are different victims who’ve both died or are afraid to come back ahead.
Prosecutors say that Golubski, who was white, victimized Black ladies and ladies in a few of Kansas Metropolis’s poorest neighborhoods.
Golubski’s prosecution adopted hundreds of abuse cases throughout the nation the place officers misplaced their badges after allegations of sexual assault.
After Golubski’s demise, the decide dismissed the case on the request of prosecutors.
Why was he below home arrest, not in custody?
Prosecutors needed Golubski jailed nearly instantly. They requested to have him taken into custody two days after a federal grand jury indicted him in September 2022.
However U.S. Justice of the Peace Decide Rachel Schwartz rejected their request, concluding that whereas the allegations have been “surprising,” Golubski was not the chance he was when the alleged abuse occurred years in the past.
An legal professional for Golubski described him as “sick and infirm,” saying he wanted medical look after diabetes and to get better from quintuple bypass coronary heart surgical procedure. Golubski was present process kidney dialysis thrice every week, and his trial was scheduled round these remedies.
Did Golubski get particular therapy?
Golubski’s accusers consider he had an excessive amount of freedom below home arrest. A few of them have been particularly offended after they noticed video of him at a Culver’s restaurant following a medical appointment in January. Schwartz tightened situations on Golubski’s home arrest after that, however did not order him detained.
“The notion of individuals, rightly or wrongly, and whatever the legislation, is that had they been in entrance of the courtroom below related circumstances, they most likely would have been detained,” Cheryl Pilate, an legal professional for a few of Golubski’s accusers, mentioned Tuesday.
Barry Grissom, who served as the highest federal prosecutor in Kansas from 2010 to 2016, mentioned Golubski’s longtime ties to the Kansas Metropolis space — one thing cited by the Justice of the Peace — argued towards detention. Schwartz ordered Golubski to remain at house apart from non secular providers and medical care. He was not allowed to get a passport.
“He hadn’t been discovered responsible — you already know, it hadn’t been proved — so he nonetheless, like anyone, was presumed harmless,” Grissom mentioned.
And the way did he get a gun?
That is unclear.
Sean O’Brien, a College of Missouri-Kansas Metropolis legislation professor, mentioned officers would have searched Golubski’s house when his home arrest began, however added that “it isn’t like they have been surveilling his home 24/7.”
“However, you already know, as soon as he’s there — you already know, individuals coming and going — anyone might have introduced a gun to him or possibly the search wasn’t that thorough,” O’Brien mentioned.
Golubski labored for many years for the Kansas Metropolis police division earlier than retiring from there in 2010. He then labored for the Edwardsville police, leaving that division in 2016.
Edwardsville Chief Rance Quinn mentioned in an e-mail Tuesday that the division points firearms to its officers and people in good standing are allowed to retailer them exterior the division. The firearm can develop into a present to an worker who retires, however Golubski didn’t get such a present upon leaving in 2016, Quinn mentioned.
Quinn mentioned not one of the division’s firearms have been lacking Monday morning and that “the firearm discovered on scene was not the make/mannequin of firearm utilized by the Edwardsville PD.”
In Kansas Metropolis, cops purchase the firearms they’re going to use on obligation from an inventory of accredited weapons and, in the event that they cowl the associated fee themselves, hold them after leaving the division, mentioned spokesperson Nancy Chartrand. It was not instantly clear whether or not Golubski did that.
What was Golubski’s frame of mind?
Christopher Joseph, Golubski’s lead legal professional, mentioned in an e-mail Tuesday that he’d anticipated to satisfy Golubski in Topeka on Monday morning and go to the courthouse, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Golubski’s house in Edwardsville. Golubski hadn’t skipped a courtroom look earlier than Monday.
“I used to be in common contact with Roger, together with over the weekend,” Joseph mentioned. “I noticed no warning indicators. His protection group was assured in regards to the prospect of acquittal.”
Joseph mentioned Golubski himself didn’t consider he might get a good trial due to media protection of his case and that he solely discovered Monday morning that Golubski was despondent over that protection.
“Roger’s demise shouldn’t be thought-about an request for forgiveness,” Joseph mentioned. “As a substitute, it ought to be a warning in regards to the energy of the media to select a story and current it as reality.”
Some are nonetheless ready for justice
Golubski was on the heart of a string of lawsuits and felony allegations that led the Wyandotte County prosecutor’s workplace to start a $1.7 million effort to reexamine instances he labored on throughout his 35 years on the drive.
One double homicide case Golubski investigated resulted within the exoneration of a person wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for 23 years, and authorities funds totaling $14 million to the person. A felony justice group run by rapper Jay-Z is suing to acquire police data.
Pilate mentioned solely a small subset of Golubski’s victims have been prepared to come back ahead and that his trial would have represented “only a first step towards accountability” for native police and authorities officers.
“After which when the time lastly arrived for accountability, it was yanked away from them,” she mentioned.
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Hollingsworth reported from Kansas Metropolis, Missouri.
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