Pedophile dies after ‘drinking’ mysterious cloudy liquid in Texas court after jury found him guilty of child sex abuse
- Edward LeClair, 57, collapsed in his cell after drinking the liquid from his water bottle
- He began to “vent” after a jury found him guilty of the first of five counts of child sexual abuse
- Officers found LeClair looking “grey” in jail after a judge ordered them to check on him
- The Texas Rangers are now investigating his death, with the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office looking into his cause of death
By Emma James for Dailymail.Com
Posted: 14:23, 13 August 2022 | Updated: 15:19, 13 August 2022
A sex offender died after “drinking” a cloudy liquid from a water bottle in a Texas court after being found guilty of sexually abusing a child.
Edward LeClair, 57, began drinking the liquid after a jury found him guilty on the first count and continued to drink while the other counts were read on August 11.
He faced five counts of child sexual assault against one victim that occurred in 2016, according to the Denton County Jail.
LeClair waited to hear the sentence 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 the situation was normal at first.
But when LeClair hears that he has been found guilty on the first charge, he grabs his bottle and “drinks” the cloudy liquid down as he is found guilty on the remaining four charges.
Edward LeClair, 57, died after drinking a ‘murky’ 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 her attorney when she started drinking the water
Beck told WFAA, “The jury comes in and sits down, the defendant and his attorney get up.
“The jury delivers the verdict to the judge, which she begins to read. During this process he had a bottle of water with him at the counselor’s table and drank it.
“It wasn’t like he was just taking sips of water. He was literally throwing it back, so to speak.
Beck explained that while people in the courtroom thought his actions were strange, they thought it was just his way of dealing with the situation.
LeClair was returned to the cell after the sentences were read before officers decided to check on him for his strange behavior.
An autopsy is pending to determine the cause of death, and investigators have taken his bottle as evidence
He was found unconscious, with witnesses saying he had gone “white,” and was rushed to Medical City Denton, where he was pronounced dead.
Beck added: “Our researcher noticed him snorting the water. He told the Bailiff he might want to go check it out. The bailiff did.
“He was unconscious in the cell. Shortly after entering the holding cell, he began vomiting and 911 was called.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office is set to perform an autopsy to determine LeClair’s cause of death.
The Texas Rangers are also investigating the incident and have taken the bottle into evidence.
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