Pedophile dies after ‘puffing’ mysterious cloudy liquid in Texas court when jury found him guilty of child sexual abuse – he started drinking after first count announced
- Edward LeClair, 57, collapsed in a cell after drinking the liquid from his water bottle
- He began to ‘chug’ after the jury found him guilty of the first of five counts of sexually abusing a child
- Officers thought LeClair looked ‘grey’ in jail after judge ordered them to check on him
- Texas Rangers Now Investigate His Death As Tarrant County Medical Investigates Cause Of His Death
A sex offender died after ‘puffing’ a cloudy liquid from a water bottle into a… Texas court after being found guilty of sexually abusing a child.
Edward LeClair, 57, began drinking the liquid after the jury found him guilty on the first count and continued to slurp while the other counts were read on Aug. 11.
He had faced five counts of child sexual abuse against one victim, which took place in 2016, according to Denton County Jail.
LeClair had waited with his attorney for the verdict of the 16th District Court in Denton, Texas.
First Assistant Attorney Jamie Beck of the Denton County District Attorney’s Office said the situation had been normal initially.
But when LeClair learned he had been found guilty on the first count, he picked up his bottle and ‘puffed’ the cloudy liquid down while being found guilty on the other four counts.
Edward LeClair, 57, died after slurping a ‘cloudy’ liquid from a bottle when found guilty of five counts of child sexual abuse
LeClair was waiting for the verdict of the 16th District Court in Denton, Texas, along with his attorney when he began to slurp the water
Beck told WFAA: ‘The jury enters and takes a seat, the defendant and his counsel standing.
“The jury hands the verdict to the judge, who then begins to read it. During this process, he had a bottle of water with him at the council table, and he slurped it up.
“It wasn’t like he was just taking sips of water. He literally threw it back, so to speak.
Beck explained that while those in the courtroom thought his actions were strange, they thought it was just his way of handling the situation.
LeClair was returned to a cell after the verdicts were read, before officers decided to check him for his strange behavior.
An autopsy will be performed to find out the cause of death, and investigators have taken his bottle as evidence
He was found unconscious, with witnesses saying he had “turned gray” and was rushed to Medical City Denton, where he was pronounced dead.
Beck added: “Our investigator saw him slurp the water. He told the bailiff that he might want to go and see him. The bailiff did that.
“He was unconscious in the cell. Shortly after entering the hold-up cell, he started vomiting and emergency services were called.”
The medical examiner’s office in Tarrant County will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of LeClair’s death.
Texas rangers are also investigating the incident and have taken the bottle as evidence.