A Santa Monica man accused of raping a woman and kidnapping a UCLA student near Culver City in April died by suicide shortly before his court appearance, authorities said.
Alexander Schecter, 26, was reported unconscious and not breathing by a family member Monday night at his home in the 800 block of San Vicente Avenue, according to the Santa Monica Police Department.
Schechter was free on bail and a preliminary court hearing was scheduled for Tuesday at Airport Court, according to court records.
He was arrested in March after he allegedly stopped a female student from getting out of her car and then threatened violence, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. During the course of the investigation, authorities identified him as a suspect in a sexual assault near Culver City last October.
In April, he was charged with one count of kidnapping, one count of first-degree residential robbery, two counts of forcible oral copulation and one count of rape, the Times reported.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office released Schechter’s name and manner of death on Tuesday, police said. He died by suicide, according to the office’s online records.
Santa Monica police Lt. Lewis Gilmore said there were no signs of foul play.
“This case raises broader questions about the #MeToo movement,” Schechter’s attorney, Debra S. White, said in a statement. “It brought needed attention to sexual misconduct, but the pendulum has swung too far. Charges can be extremely damaging before the full picture is known, especially when prosecutors overcharge and speak publicly as if they have been convicted and charged.”
Schechter’s family criticized the Los Angeles County District in a statement White provided to The Times. Atty. Nathan Hochman’s handling of the case disputed a statement his office issued earlier this year. They also said Schechter suffered from autism spectrum disorder and anxiety, and said the evidence was “more complex than the headlines suggest.”
Suicide Prevention and Crisis Counseling Resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek professional help or call 988. The national triple-digit mental health crisis hotline will connect callers with trained mental health counselors. Or text “HOME” to 741741 in the United States and Canada to call the crisis text hotline.