Roger Golubski found dead in home on day federal trial was set to begin
TOPEKA, Kan. (KCTV) - Roger Golubski, charged with violating the civil rights of two women, did not appear for his federal trial in Topeka, Kansas, due to being despondent over media attention of the trial, Golubski’s attorney said about 9 a.m. on Monday.
Hours later, federal prosecutors said Golubski had died from a fatal gunshot wound.
The Edwardsville Police Department stated that officers responded to Golubski’s home in the 700 block of South 9th Street due to a reported gunshot. When they arrived, they found him dead on his back porch.
Police did not say if the incident was a suicide, but they did add there were no indications of foul play in the death of the 71-year-old man.
The Department of Justice alleged Golubski assaulted two teenage victims over several years in the late 1990s and into the 2000s.Also Read: Lawsuit claims KCK police, including disgraced detective Roger Golubski, covered up crimes
Golubski had denied the allegations and was on house arrest while awaiting trial because of his health.
Roger Golubski had been accused by many people of committing crimes over three decades while working in the KCK Police Department and has been the subject of numerous KCTV5 investigations.
KCTV5 Investigates had previously talked with Ophelia Williams, one of Golubski’s accusers who was set to testify in the trial. She said that she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Golubski and still has bad dreams about the encounters—more than 25 years later.
Read More: Trial date set for retired KCK detective charged in sexual assault investigation
“He didn’t come back one time to rape me. He came back and back,” Williams told KCTV5 earlier this year.
When she threatened to call the police, she said Golubski was unfazed.
“He said, ‘I am the police,’ What good would it do? It would be a long time before anybody found me,” said Williams.
This upcoming trial is the first of two federal cases against Golubski. The second involves a sex trafficking ring at a KCK apartment complex. There are three co-defendants in that case. Golubski allegedly protected the men from investigation while the illegal activity was going on.
After Golubski failed to appear at his trial on Monday morning, a judge issued an arrest warrant. The case was dismissed upon learning of the former detective’s death.
Investigators have scheduled an autopsy.
Read On: Judge taking 30 days to decide on Roger Golubski’s motion to dismiss indictment
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