Officials determine Robert Fuller, Black man found hanged in Palmdale, committed suicide

A monthlong investigation has confirmed suicide was the cause of death for Robert Fuller, the 24-year-old Black man found hanging in a park near Palmdale City Hall, officials said Thursday.

Detectives determined Fuller had a history of mental health struggles, and over the course of the past year had been admitted to two hospitals where he expressed suicidal ideation, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Cmdr. Chris Marks said at a news briefing.

The young man appeared to have purchased the rope used in his hanging at a local Dollar Tree store in May, Marks said.

The county coroner’s office ruled the case a suicide by hanging in a final autopsy report issued Thursday.

Marks said Fuller’s family has cooperated throughout the investigation and “provided much-needed information.”

“They indicated that they would let the investigation take its course, and were open-minded about his cause of death, not really speculating one way or the other,” he said.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the family was out of state Thursday, but he offered his condolences to them and “all the families who have loved ones that suffer from mental illnesses.”

Fuller’s death sparked protests after his body was found hanging from a tree at Poncitlán Square in the early morning hours of June 10, amid a wave of racial uprising across the nation.

Authorities were quick to declare the incident was being investigated as a suicide, but promised a broader probe after receiving pushback from the community and Fuller’s family. The FBI and state Attorney General’s Office have since been overseeing the investigation.

Fuller’s body was suspended from a braided rope and cloth fabric, which was tied around his neck and attached to the tree in more than one spot accessible only from up in the tree, “indicating that the victim was not hoisted into that position,” Marks said.

The commander said there were no signs of a struggle, defensive wounds or other trauma to Fuller’s body, and his hands were not bound.

“There were no signs that he attempted to remove the ligature from his neck,” he said.

Investigators also found several prominent linear scars on Fuller’s left wrist that were consistent with suicidal intent, according to Marks.

No one else was seen in the park area by either the passerby who found Fuller’s body or the paramedics who responded to the scene, officials said.

It’s still unclear how long his body had been there, but first responders pronounced Fuller dead at 3:39 a.m.

No suicide note was found. Investigators also canvassed the area in search of surveillance video, but found no cameras covering the park.

Authorities originally deemed Fuller’s death a suicide two days after his body was found, after they say they spoke with relatives who reported prior mental health treatment. But on June 15, state and federal authorities joined the expanded investigation.

In the ensuing probe, detectives found an EBT card registered to Fuller was used to purchase a red rope, consistent with the one used in the hanging, from a local Dollar Tree store on May 14.

By the time the transaction was discovered, surveillance video from the store was no longer available. But other footage from after that date showed ... (Read more)

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