AILSA CHANG, HOST:
A white former police detective in Kansas, accused of sexually assaulting and kidnapping Black women, failed to show up today for the first day of his federal trial. He was later found dead at his home. It was a dramatic end to a case that has been plaguing the community for decades. Peggy Lowe of member station KCUR has been following this case and joins us now with more details. And a warning - we will be talking about sexual violence. Hi, Peggy.
PEGGY LOWE, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: OK, well, I want to start with some of the background before we get into what happened today. Tell us what you can about this former police officer.
LOWE: Well, his name was Roger Golubski, and he was notorious in the Black community of Kansas City, Kansas, for decades. He was accused of sexually abusing women, putting innocent men in jail, and even protecting a drug dealer's sex trafficking operation. So he was arrested by the FBI two years ago and charged with using the power of his badge to violate the civil rights of two Black women through rape, kidnapping and sexual assault. These alleged crimes happened in the 1990s, and Golubski has been on home arrest since 2022. Now, he's denied these charges, and he pleaded not guilty.
CHANG: OK. And today, instead of the beginning of his trial, there came news of his death. What do we know about what happened?
LOWE: So everyone was waiting in the courtroom this morning. It was coming on 9 o'clock. Already dozens of jurors had been called and were waiting, but Golubski didn't show. His lawyer seemed surprised, and then he told the judge that Golubski was, quote, "despondent" about media coverage of the case. Golubski had been on house arrest, as I had said, and his electronic monitor showed this morning that he was still at his house in a small town near Kansas City, about an hour and a half from the courthouse. So a federal judge issued a warrant for his arrest, and then, in just about an hour, Golubski's lawyers were back in court telling the judge that he was dead. Law enforcement say he died of a fatal gunshot wound, and there were no indications of foul play. And prosecutors have now dismissed this case.
CHANG: Well, police officers are, of course, not often charged with crimes, especially civil rights abuses. How did Golubski's behavior even come to light in the first place?
LOWE: Yeah. So remember when I said he was accused of putting innocent men in jail?
CHANG: Mm-hmm.
LOWE: Golubski's alleged crimes surfaced during the exoneration of a Kansas City, Kansas, man named Lamonte McIntyre, who spent 23 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. He accused Golubski of threatening two eyewitnesses who were forced to name McIntyre as the man who committed a double homicide. Now, McIntyre was cleared in 2017. He later won a $12.5 million settlement from the local government.
CHANG: Well, Golubski's death has left a lot of questions unresolved. What's been the reaction so far to what has happened to the case now?
LOWE: So the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division issued a statement, and they said that it's always difficult when a case is unable to be fully and fairly heard. And, of course, social justice advocates say they now believe there may never be accountability for Golubski's victims.
CHANG: That is Peggy Lowe with member station KCUR. Thank you so much, Peggy.
LOWE: Thank you, Ailsa. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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