Posted: 14:23, 13 August 2022 | Updated: 15:19, 13 August 2022
A sex offender has died after he “snorted” a cloudy liquid from a water bottle in a Texas court after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a child. Edward LeClair, 57, began drinking the liquid after a jury found him guilty on the first charge and continued to get high as the other charges were read on August 11. He was facing five counts of child sexual abuse against a victim that occurred in 2016, according to the Denton County Jail. LeClair waited to hear the verdict in the 16th District Court in Denton, Texas, with his attorney. First Assistant District Attorney Jamie Beck of the Denton County District Attorney’s Office said at first the situation was normal. But when LeClair heard he had been found guilty on the first charge, he grabbed his bottle and “sucked” the cloudy liquid as he was found guilty on the other four charges. Edward LeClair, 57, died after drinking a ‘cloudy’ liquid from a bottle as he was found guilty of five counts of child sexual abuse LeClair was waiting to hear the verdict in the 16th District Court in Denton, Texas, with his lawyer when the water broke. Beck told WFAA: “The jury comes in and takes their seats, the defendant and his attorney are standing. “The jury gives the verdict to the judge, who then begins to read it. During this process he had a bottle of water with him at the counselors table and grabbed it. “It wasn’t like he was taking sips of water. He was literally throwing it back, so to speak. Beck explained that while those in the courtroom felt his actions were strange, they thought it was just his way of dealing with the situation. LeClair was taken back to a holding cell after the verdicts were read, before officers decided to check on him because of his strange behavior. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death and investigators have taken his bottle as evidence He was found unconscious, with witnesses saying he had “grayed,” and was rushed to Medical City Denton where he was pronounced dead. Beck added: “Our investigator observed him sipping the water. He told the bailiff that he might want to go check on him. The bailiff did. “He was unconscious in the holding cell. Shortly after entering the cell, he started vomiting and emergency services were called.’ The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office is set to perform an autopsy to determine LeClair’s cause of death. Texas Rangers are also investigating the incident and have recovered the bottle.
