Texas Sex Offender Commits Suicide in Courtroom by Drinking Mystery Liquid as Jury Convicted Him of 5 Counts of Child Sexual Assault

A Texas sex offender seemed to have committed suicide inside a courtroom by drinking a mysterious liquid as a jury convicted him of five counts of child sexual assault.

According to People, Edward Leclair was on trial at a Denton County courtroom in Texas, where he drank a bottle of mystery liquid. The 57-year-old sex offender was then brought to a hospital, where he died.

Leclair had been free on bond until his verdict last Thursday. Authorities said Leclair, sitting with his lawyers in court, started drinking from a plastic water bottle filled with liquid as the jury returned a guilty verdict on the first count.

Leclair's attorney, Mike Howard, told NBC News that he looked over and noticed his client drinking. Howard said he saw Leclair's hand shaking at the time and thought it was shaking because of the verdict that carried a maximum prison sentence of 100 years.

Howard noted that the Texas sex offender "kept drinking and drinking" and appeared "dejected and in shell shock" as the verdict was being read.

Texas Sex Offender Commits Suicide by Drinking Mystery Liquid Inside Courtroom

Prosecutor Jamie Beck told CNN that their investigator noticed Edward Leclair drinking the liquid. The investigator then told the bailiff he might want to check on the suspect, which the bailiff did.

The Independent reported that Leclair was found unconscious in a holding cell near the courtroom. Leclair's attorney noted that shortly after entering the holding cell, the Texas sexual offender started vomiting, and emergency services were called.

Howard noted that he never saw the convicted man put anything in the bottle, adding that "no one was looking for that." According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office, Leclair was pronounced dead at the Medical City Denton hospital before 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Authorities said an autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause of death. Prosecutor with the Denton County Criminal District Attorney's Office, Jamie Beck, described the liquid in the suspect's plastic bottle as "cloudy."

Law enforcement officials have yet to comment on what, if anything, the Texas sex offender ingested other than water. Howard told the Record-Chronicle that everyone in the courtroom was shocked by the incident.

He said it did carry a lot of emotion, especially for the jurors. However, the judge and the attorneys in the case assured the jurors that it was not their fault.

Case of Texas Sex Offender Edward Leclair

Edward Leclair was facing five counts of child sexual assault involving one victim. He had been charged with raping a 14-year-old girl in 2016. Leclair reportedly responded to a personal ad the girl had posted on Craiglist in July of the same year.

The search warrant noted that the two met and drove to a hotel, where Leclair raped the minor, according to police. The Washington Post reported that the Texas sex offender paid the 14-year-old girl $200, and the girl later sent him a nude photograph through email.

The minor later on told Leclair that she was 14. However, he continued to meet with her and sexually abuse her. Frisco police said they filed charges against Leclair after the then-16-year-old girl's mother reported the incident in June 2018.

Court records showed that the Texas sex offender was arrested the next month, and he was released after posting a $30,000 bond. Denton Record-Chronicle also reported that in May 2019, Leclair's girlfriend, Melody "Mel" Shae, discovered the communication between Leclair and the minor.

Shae met with the victim, who said that Shae threatened her and told her that Leclair was "grooming her." Shae and Leclair kept in contact with the victim until the police got involved.

Shae's attorney Case Cagle said that Shae notified the victim's parents about the illicit relationship. However, Shae was arrested in July 2018 on failure to report a felony. In July 2020, Shae's charge was dropped.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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