Edward LeClair, 57, was on trial in Denton, Texas, on five counts of sexual assault and was free on bond pending his sentencing Thursday. “As these verdicts were being read, he reached for a bottle of water that he had [the] advisory table,” Denton County Assistant District Attorney Jamie Beck told CNN on Friday, adding that the liquid appeared cloudy. “Our investigator observed him drilling the water,” Beck said. “He told the bailiff that he might want to go and check on him. The bailiff did. He was unconscious in the holding cell.” “Shortly after entering the cell, he began vomiting and emergency services were called,” said Leclair’s defense attorney, Mike Howard. Howard said that LeClair had taken a “fluffy drink out of a water bottle” while listening to the verdict, but the lawyer didn’t know what was in the bottle. Doctors tried to revive Leclerc. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. An autopsy has been ordered and the cause of death is pending.
