#  Another Suspicious Death at West Hollywood Home Of Major Democratic Donor Ed Buck

     Details    Lydia O’Connor   ![logo](https://www.citywatchla.com//templates/ja_teline_v/images/logo.png)         January 08 2019      [  ![](https://www.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Jan-2019/003y.png)    ](https://www.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/16878-another-suspicious-death-at-west-hollywood-home-of-major-democratic-donor-ed-buck)

  [LOS ANGELES](https://www.citywatchla.com/los-angeles)   - [  Previous Article **Is Anyone Really Offended by That F Word?** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16884:is-anyone-really-offended-by-that-f-word&catid=312)
- [  Next Article **Maybe the Constitution Should have Started with the Declaration!** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16872:maybe-the-constitution-should-have-started-with-the-declaration&catid=312)

  ###### Typography

- [](# "Smaller Font")  ****Smaller** **Small** **Medium** **Big** **Bigger****  [](# "Bigger Font")
- [](# "Previous Font Style")  ****Default** **Helvetica** **Segoe** **Georgia** **Times****  [](# "Next Font Style")

- [ Reading Mode](# "Reading Mode")

> <a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a><a class="a2a_button_print"></a>[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
>
>  [Comments](#disqus_thread)

>
>
>
> BREAKING-A black man in his 50s was found dead early Monday at the West Hollywood apartment of Ed Buck, a prominent Democratic donor associated with a different death in his home last year.

 The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has not yet disclosed the deceased person’s name.

An attorney for Buck told the [Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ed-buck-west-hollywood-death-20190107-story.html) that he believes the individual “was an old friend who died of an accidental overdose” of drugs he had used before coming to Buck’s home.

The incident will sound eerily familiar to anyone who followed the investigation into the death of Gemmel Moore, a 26-year-old black escort who died of an accidental methamphetamine overdose in Buck’s home just 18 months ago. The prominent donor, 65, was present then as well.

The similarities between the two deaths are not lost on law enforcement.

“It is [suspicious](https://ktla.com/2019/01/07/death-reported-at-west-hollywood-home-of-wealthy-political-donor-ed-buck-for-the-2nd-time/) that this has happened twice now,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Derrick Alfred told reporters outside Buck’s apartment building.

In July, prosecutors [declined](https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ed-buck-prosecutors-20180726-story.html) to charge Buck in connection with Moore’s death ― much to the chagrin of Moore’s family, who said Moore’s journal entries indicated that Buck had a fetish for seeking out gay black men and getting them hooked on dangerous drugs.

Concern that a similar incident could occur grew after other escorts came forward corroborating those claims.

Buck grew to prominence as the founder of the Mecham Watchdog Committee, a campaign he launched in 1987 to impeach former Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham (R). In the first half of 2017, Buck [raised](https://www.wehoville.com/2017/08/16/who-is-ed-buck/) nearly $30,000 in state races for California Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu and Pete Aguilar, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) and the Getting Things Done PAC.

*(Lydia O’Connor writes for [HuffPost ](http://huffingtonpost.com)… where this piece was first posted.)*

-cw

  - [  Previous Article **Is Anyone Really Offended by That F Word?** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16884:is-anyone-really-offended-by-that-f-word&catid=312)
- [  Next Article **Maybe the Constitution Should have Started with the Declaration!** ](https://www.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16872:maybe-the-constitution-should-have-started-with-the-declaration&catid=312)
<div data-id="1" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-emailform eb-1 eboxContentLocker"
	data-options='{"trigger":"onPageLoad","trigger_selector":"","delay":3000,"early_trigger":true,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":1,"reverse_scroll_close":true,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":10000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"slideInDown","animation_close":"fadeOutDown","animation_duration":400,"disable_page_scroll":true,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #1 - Global Email Signup Form","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog eb-formVer" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog1" aria-label="dialog1">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<form action="https://citywatchla.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=34d69f33624fd058ee9b56516&amp;id=4bfa422f51&amp;f_id=00d6c2e1f0" class="eb" method="post" id="mcform-1" name="mcform-1" target="_blank">
			<div class="eb-form-header"><p><img src="/images/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png" alt="be a city watcher" width="350" height="97" loading="lazy" data-path="local-images:/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png"></p>
<p>Sign up to receive our special e-news blasts on Monday and Thursday evenings!</p></div>
	
					<div class="eb-field-row">

			
			
			
			<input class="eb-input" type="email" name="EMAIL"  placeholder="Email address"  id="EMAIL" value="" required>

			
		</div>
										
	<div class="eb-footer">
    	<button class="eb-btn" type="submit" name="subscribe" style="background-color:rgba(93, 183, 93, 1);color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)">
    		Sign up    	</button>
    </div>
</form>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>
<div data-id="3" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-yesno eb-3 "
	data-options='{"trigger":"onScrollDepth","trigger_selector":"","delay":0,"early_trigger":false,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":2,"reverse_scroll_close":false,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":1000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"fadeInUp","animation_close":"fadeOut","animation_duration":300,"disable_page_scroll":false,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #3 - Yes \/ No Donation Popup Box","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog " role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog3" aria-label="dialog3">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<div class="ebox-yes-no">
	<div class="ebox-yn-text">
		
		
		<div class="ebox-yn-headline" style="font-size:22px;color:#888888">
			<p>If you only give once a month, would you consider giving to CityWatch?</p>
<p>Your support fuels our mission to promote and facilitate civic engagement and neighborhood empowerment, and to hold area government and its politicians accountable.</p>
<p>Would you like to help? Even if you can only give $5, it will make a difference.</p>		</div>
			</div>
	
	<div class="ebox-ys-buttons" style="font-size: 16px;">
		
<a
					data-ebox-prevent="0"
		data-ebox-cmd="close"
				target="_self"
		href="https://www.citywatchla.com/donate"
		rel="noopener"
	
	
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#2ec664;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Yes
	</a>
<a
	
	
			data-ebox-cmd="close"
		href="#"
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#ef2345;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Not Right Now
	</a>	</div>

	</div>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>