A new report revealed on Tuesday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Justice and the California Attorney General’s Office have now launched investigations into the deaths of two black men, Robert Fuller and Malcolm Harsch, whose bodies were found hanging from trees in two Californian cities around 50 miles apart.
According to Newsweek, the FBI’s decision to get involved in the investigation came as another man was found hanging from a tree in Houston, Texas, on Monday. The death has been described by the Houston Police Department as an “apparent suicide.”
The FBI issued a statement Monday confirming the move: “The FBI, U.S. Attorney’s office for the Central District of California and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division are actively reviewing the investigations into the hanging deaths of two African American men in the cities of Palmdale and Victorville to determine whether there are violations of federal law.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed at a news conference Monday: “I reached out to Attorney General Xavier Becerra, and they are now going to provide a monitor and review all of our investigation and make sure we didn’t leave any rock unturned. I also reached out to the FBI. We’re making sure we’re transparent and fully accountable.”
According to investigators, the only evidence reported to be found at the scene of Fuller’s death was a rope, the contents of his pockets and a backpack he was wearing.
Los Angeles County Department Captain Kent Wegener confirmed forensics on the rope will be conducted through “physical analysis and tests of serology nature by our crime lab. We’ll also dissect the involved knot structure [of the rope] to determine how they were tied.”
You can read more on the investigations HERE.
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