A whiteformer On Monday, the day his federal civil rights trial for allegedly sexually abusing Black women for decades was scheduled to start, a police detective in Kansas City was discovered dead from what appeared to be a suicide.
On the first day of jury selection, Roger Golubski, 71, did not show up at a federal courthouse in Topeka, and an arrest warrant was issued. After receiving a 911 call, officers arrived at Golubski’s residence in the Edwardsville suburb of Kansas City. According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, there were no signs of foul play and he was fatally shot.
Federal law enforcement officials told NBC News that it appears to be a suicide, but state authorities would not comment on how he died until an autopsy was finished.
In a statement, senior Department of Justice officials also announced his passing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke and U.S. Attorney Kate Brubacher for the District of Kansas stated, “This matter involved extremely serious charges, and it is always difficult when a case is unable to be fully and fairly heard in a public trial and weighed and determined by a jury.” Even though the lawsuit is concluded, all of the parties and their families will still be affected in the long run. We urge that they all be treated with dignity and that their privacy be respected as they come to grips with this development. We also wish them peace and the chance to heal.”
His cause of death was not disclosed by the authorities. Requests for comment were not immediately answered by his lawyer or local police.
In 2022, Golubski was charged with federal civil rights offenses for allegedly using Black women for sex and falsely accusing others of crimes they claim they did not commit.
Golubski entered a not guilty plea to six charges of deprivation of civil rights. He resigned from the Kansas City Police Department in 2010 after 35 years of service. According to federal authorities, the case involved the rape of two women when he worked for the agency, from 1998 to 2001 and 1999 to 2002. In a different instance, he was also accused with three other people for allegedly operating a sex trafficking organization that held women captive between 1996 and 1998.
Due to his frequent dialysis treatments, Golubski had been under house arrest. If found guilty, he may spend the rest of his life behind bars.
When his client did not appear in court on Monday morning, Golubski’s attorney, Christopher Joseph, informed a judge that he had been “despondent” over the media coverage of his case.
In recent years, the Kansas City Police Department has been under fire for alleged civil rights abuses and corruption. A more extensive federal probe has been demanded by activists, especially in view of the alleged decades-long abuses committed under Golubski.
Before it was known that Golubski had passed away, protesters gathered outside the courthouse to call for justice in the case.
Cheryl Pilate, a lawyer for a man falsely convicted in a 1994 double murder case connected to Golubski, told reporters that a thorough inquiry into Monday’s events is necessary after learning of his passing. After he was accused of breaking the restrictions by going out to lunch without permission, federal prosecutors requested in February that a judge revoke his pretrial house arrest privilege. But the judge refused to do so.
Last month, Kansas City was sued by Jay Z’s Team Roc, the social justice division of his Roc Nation entertainment organization, for allegedly breaking public records rules by neglecting to provide police data pertaining to allegations of misbehavior and abuse.
The trial would have been meaningful accountability, according to Team ROC managing director Dania Diaz, and the community and Golubski’s accusations need to be heard.
“The truth was always going to be revealed in court, but today’s development is certainly a tragic ending to a devastating story for a local community that still deserves answers and healing,” Diaz stated.
The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling 988 if you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis. For further resources, visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources, text HOME to 741741, or contact the network (formerly the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) at 800-273-8255.
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