Ex-detective accused of preying on black women dies before trial

A former US detective accused of kidnapping and raping two women decades ago was found dead from suicide on Monday, just as his federal trial was due to begin.

Roger Golubski, a former veteran police detective in Kansas City, Kansas, had been on home confinement since his arrest in 2022 on charges that he sexually abused black women in the city for several years while he was on duty.

The federal charges against him were filed after he and the department were sued by a man who was wrongfully convicted of murder. Golubski had investigated the case.

Before his death, Golubski pleaded not guilty to allegations that he had protected sexual abusers and drug dealers, violated the civil rights of numerous black women and fabricated crimes to set up his victims.

Jury selection was due to begin in the closely-watched trial in Topeka, Kansas, on Monday.

After he failed to show at the courthouse, his lawyer told the judge that Golubski, 71, was "despondent about the media coverage" of the case.

Officers went to his home in Edwardsville, Kansas, after a 911 caller reported hearing a gunshot, according to a statement from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. Golubski was found dead.

“There are no indications of foul play,” the statement continued, adding that a post-mortem examination is planned.

Golubski retired from the Kansas City police department in 2010 after 35 years on the force and rising to the rank of captain.

In court documents, prosecutors argued that he preyed on one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the state with impunity.

He was accused of raping two girls between 1998 and 2002. In a separate case, he was also accused of participating in an underage sex trafficking ring.

Federal prosecutors released a statement on Monday following Golubski’s death, saying, “it is always difficult when a case is unable to be fully and fairly heard in a public trial".

“The proceedings in this case may be over, but its lasting impact on all the individuals and families involved remains. We wish them peace and the opportunity for healing as they come to terms with this development,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, and US Attorney Kate Brubacher, of the District of Kansas.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line. Help and support outside the UK can be found at Befrienders Worldwide or you can call or text the US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline on 988.