Ex-detective in Kansas left suicide letters before his body was found ahead of trial
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A former police detective in Kansas left five suicide letters before fatally shooting himself as he was about to stand trial last month over allegations that he sexually assaulted and terrorized vulnerable Black women for decades, investigators announced Tuesday.
Roger Golubski, who was white, left his house outside of Kansas City, Kansas, for his federal trial around 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 2, but returned home before reaching the courthouse 50 miles (80 kilometers) west in Topeka, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release.
The 71-year-old was facing six felony counts of violating women's civil rights. Prosecutors say he preyed on female residents in poor neighborhoods, demanding sexual favors and sometimes threatening to harm or jail their relatives if they refused.
The allegations outraged the community and deepened its historical distrust of law enforcement. The prosecution followed earlier reports of similar abuse allegations across the country in which hundreds of officers have lost their badges after allegations of sexual assault. _____
EDITOR'S NOTE — In the U.S., the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org
_____
Golubski had pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His lead attorney, Christopher Joseph, said before Golubski's death that lawsuits related to cases his client investigated were an 'inspiration for fabrication' by his accusers.
The morning of his death, Golubski's roommate reported hearing a gunshot around 9 a.m. after Golubski made several phone calls to family and to his attorney, the KBI said. The roommate immediately called 911, and police found Golubski dead on the back porch of his split-level home.
The final autopsy report concluded Golubski died of a gunshot wound to the head and that his death was a suicide. The KBI said agents traced a handgun found near the body to a Kansas City, Missouri, woman who said the weapon was stolen from her vehicle in 2022.
Agents were not able to determine how Golubski came to possess the firearm. Investigators could not establish a connection between him and the gun owner, the KBI said.
The heart of the case against Golubski focused on two women: one who said the former detective began sexually abusing her when she was in middle school, and another who said he began abusing her after her twin sons were arrested. Prosecutors said seven other women were planning to testify that Golubski abused or harassed them as well.
Despite Golubski's death, a second criminal case involving three co-defendants and allegations of a violent sex trafficking operation is continuing.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Czech court sentences Colombian to 8 years for arson attack which officials think is tied to Russia
PRAGUE (AP) — A court in the Czech capital sentenced a Colombian national to eight years in prison on Monday for an arson attack and planning another one, in a case which authorities believe may be linked to Russia. Prague's Municipal Court also ordered Andrés Alfonso de la Hoz de la Cruz to pay damages worth 115,000 koruna ($5,300). The court approved a plea agreement between prosecutors and the defendant, who pleaded guilty. The 26-year-old Colombian was arrested a year ago after setting ablaze three Prague public buses at a depot at night. The court said that he recorded what he did and left. Local workers managed to extinguish the fire. The court said the man received orders on the Telegram messaging app and was promised $3,000. He was also planning one more attack, possibly at a movie theater in Prague. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala previously said the failed arson attack was likely part of Russia's hybrid war against his country. Czechia, which is more widely known in English as the Czech Republic, is a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russia's full scale-invasion. Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since Moscow launched all-out war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, according to data collected by The Associated Press. They allege the disruption campaign is an extension of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war, intended to sow division in European societies and undermine support for Ukraine. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of the war at
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nigerian Catholic priest who had recently served in the US abducted by extremists, church says
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian Catholic priest who recently served in the United States has been abducted by extremists along with other travelers in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, the church said. The Rev. Alphonsus Afina was kidnapped on June 1 near the northeastern town of Gwoza, close to the border with Cameroon, by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, Bishop John Bogna Bakeni of Maiduguri told The Associated Press on Sunday. Bakeni said that he spoke with the priest over the phone a day after the abduction. Afina, though exhausted from trekking, was 'sounding OK' and 'in good spirits' during the brief conversation, according to the bishop. The priest was traveling from the city of Mubi, where he is based, to Maidiguri, the capital of Borno, for a workshop when his convoy was ambushed by armed men while waiting for clearance at a military checkpoint, he said. A rocket-propelled grenade hit one of the vehicles, killing one person and wounding others, according to the bishop. Bakeni said it was difficult to determine if the priest was specifically targeted, given the number of travelers caught in the ambush. Other travelers were also abducted, he said, although it was unclear how many. Nigerian authorities haven't publicly commented on the abductions and didn't respond to requests for comment. Rev. Robert Fath, the vicar general of the diocese of Fairbanks, Alaska, told the Anchorage Daily News on Thursday that he had received a phone call from Boko Haram confirming they had Afina. Afina served in Alaska from 2017 to 2024 before returning to Nigeria, where he works with the Justice, Development and Peace Commission, a Catholic social justice group. Nigerian authorities are struggling to stem rising violence in the north and central regions where armed groups, including Boko Haram, target rural communities, killing thousands and abducting people to ransom. The attacks sometimes target religious figures such as clerics. In March, a priest in central Nigeria was kidnapped and killed by unidentified armed men. Boko Haram, Nigeria's homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict has spilled into Nigeria's northern neighbors and resulted in the death of around 35,000 civilians and the displacement of more than 2 million others, according to the United Nations.
The Hill
26 minutes ago
- The Hill
Czech court sentences Colombian to 8 years for arson attack which officials think is tied to Russia
PRAGUE (AP) — A court in the Czech capital sentenced a Colombian national to eight years in prison on Monday for an arson attack and planning another one, in a case which authorities believe may be linked to Russia. Prague's Municipal Court also ordered Andrés Alfonso de la Hoz de la Cruz to pay damages worth 115,000 koruna ($5,300). The court approved a plea agreement between prosecutors and the defendant, who pleaded guilty. The 26-year-old Colombian was arrested a year ago after setting ablaze three Prague public buses at a depot at night. The court said that he recorded what he did and left. Local workers managed to extinguish the fire. The court said the man received orders on the Telegram messaging app and was promised $3,000. He was also planning one more attack, possibly at a movie theater in Prague. Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala previously said the failed arson attack was likely part of Russia's hybrid war against his country. Czechia, which is more widely known in English as the Czech Republic, is a staunch supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russia's full scale-invasion. Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since Moscow launched all-out war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, according to data collected by The Associated Press. They allege the disruption campaign is an extension of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war, intended to sow division in European societies and undermine support for Ukraine. ___ Follow the AP's coverage of the war at
