Last Saturday, July 27, marked two years since the death of 26-year-old Gemmel Moore whose body was found at the West Hollywood apartment of Ed Buck, a well-known democratic political donor. Moore’s cause of death was ruled an accidental overdose of crystal methamphetamine. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office found that there was too little evidence to link Buck directly with Moore’s death, he remains free.
Almost two years later, in January 2019, another victim made headlines. This time it was 55-year-old Timothy Dean, who also died under similar circumstances. Dean, reportedly, had no history with substance abuse and, as with the Moore case, DA Jackie Lacey saw no concrete evidence to arrest Buck.
In a recent op-ed letter, Lacey stated:
“I have asked the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to continue to thoroughly investigate the deaths of both men. I am also calling on the public to come forward with any information that may aid in the investigation and shed light on the circumstances of these tragic deaths.”
The Black community, on the other hand, may see a number of reasons to arrest Buck and remains baffled why the DA and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department have not moved further to implicate Buck in either of the two deaths.
Now community activists are asking that, supposedly, if the cases were reversed—and Buck was a gay Black man—would the situation be handled differently?
“Ed Buck is a White male. He was able to explain away Gemmel Moore’s lifeless body in his house and actually be believed to the point where they did not open a homicide investigation until 19 days later when I published Moore’s journal,” said Jasmyne Cannick, a journalist and community activist. “I believe that because Ed Buck has donated over half a million dollars to elected officials and candidates in the Democratic Party, many of them have aided and abetted him and supported his behavior with their silence.”
Not much is known of Buck’s private life, except that he is an openly gay man with some allegedly strange fetishes, according to various news outles. His neighbors have reported that Buck’s apartment had regular “foot traffic” of young Black men—who are suspected of being sex workers. Buck was present when both men died and has steadfastly denied the accusations that he contributed to the two deaths.
“He was detained for several hours and we attempted to interview him, but he refused to speak with us and invoked his right to remain silent,” said Sheriff’s Homicide Detective Quilmes Rodriguez in an interview with NewNowNext.
A few months ago, shortly after Dean’s death, CBS Los Angeles investigative reporter David Goldstein spotted Buck leaving his house to go to a nearby 7/11 to meet a young Black man in his 20s. Both reportedly returned to Buck’s apartment, and then left again. Goldstein approached Buck and asked him questions, which Buck ignored and then called him “an a-hole.”
It’s unclear if Buck knew the guy prior or approached him randomly, but the young man was well aware of who Buck is.
Buck has also been accused of human trafficking and revenge porn. Moore had reportedly traveled from Harris County, Texas to Los Angeles and went directly to Buck’s apartment. It has been reported that Buck had paid for Moore’s travel expenses and lodging. Moore died shortly after arriving at Buck’s residence, lying next to drug paraphernalia: “multiple syringes with brown residue, a scale, several lighters and torches, a straw with white residue and burn marks, plastic bags with white powdery residue and a clear plastic bag containing a crystal-like substance,” according to the coroner’s report.
The nation’s largest online racial justice organization, Color of Change, is leading an ongoing campaign to fight for justice for the local Black community. The organization also released a video that they believe shows enough evidence to call for Buck’s arrest.
Cannick said a petition has been distributed calling on Lacey to prosecute Buck. “We’ve already delivered over 30,000 signatures to D.A. Lacey,” Cannick said. “I am not sure if they will help the case be investigated further but the petition definitely raises awareness of the case and what’s happened as well as shows the broad support nationwide for justice for the victims of Ed Buck.”
The Sheriff’s Department continues to call for any witnesses to come forward with additioinal information about either of the two deaths. They’re also looking for other possible evidence besides drug paraphernalia, such as “forensic analysis, and reviewing medical records.”
“We are absolutely going 100 percent on this,” Rodriguez told The Advocate. “You have to be able to have a provable crime. It’s called probable cause. We’re not quite there yet.”
