Disgraced former Kansas City, Kansas, detective Roger Golubski, who faced six felony charges for sexually assaulting Black women, was found dead of an apparent suicide on Dec. 2, the day his federal trial was set to begin.
After the police confirmed the news, the case against the accused rapist and kidnapper was immediately dismissed. Now, none of his alleged victims will have their day in court.
Team Roc, a nonprofit run by Jay-Z, believes the victims’ families still deserve answers. The organization helped spearhead a campaign to bring Golubski to justice and recently filed a lawsuit to obtain police records, citing a violation of the Open Records Act and police misconduct. In a statement to Atlanta Black Star, Managing Director Dania Diaz said:
“Today, our hearts are with the victims, survivors, impacted family members and the broader Kansas City, Kansas community affected by Golubski’s heinous crimes over the past few decades. 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.”
Golubski, 71, had been on house arrest due to health reasons while awaiting trial. After he failed to show up in court, police issued an arrest warrant and rushed to his residence in Edwardsville. They discovered his lifeless body on the back porch with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, reported The Kansas City Star. Investigators at the scene did not find evidence of foul play.
Though he pleaded not guilty to felony charges of violating women’s civil rights, many on social media interpret his suicide as an admission of guilt.
“Took the coward route cause he knew he was finished,” wrote one commenter on Atlanta Black Star’s official Instagram.
“I’m sure those who worked with him also knew of his behavior but probably covered up for him or were involved as well!!” commented one observer. “Why not find him guilty posthumously. F his pension,” another demanded.
A 35-year veteran of the Kansas City Police Department, Golubski’s alleged reign of terror lasted from 1983 to 2004, according to prosecutors. He was accused of stalking, raping, or attempting to rape as many as nine women and girls, one as young as 13 when the abuse started.
Golubski’s case has outraged the country and exacerbated the already existing distrust of law enforcement in Kansas City communities. But perhaps most heartbreaking is the victims’ families will never have closure.
Prosecutors said he preyed on women with near impunity, targeting the poorer neighborhoods of Kansas City. Court documents detail accusations of kidnapping, corruption, demanding sexual favors, and threats of retaliation to those who didn’t comply. In one case, he allegedly framed a Black man in a double murder case, but the man was later exonerated.
The man, Lamonte McIntyre, who flew from another state to attend the trial, said Golubski took his life to avoid facing his accusers.
“This is not justice,” McIntyre told The Kansas City Star.
“He avoided it because he knew he was guilty. He probably thought death was better than facing that. That’s how deep his secrets were. He wanted to take them to the grave,” he added.
