Pedophile Drinks Poison in Court Right After Guilty Verdict

Maybe judges should make these cocktails available at the sentencing hearing for all pedophile scum, should they so choose for a last drink.

But be that as it may, one child predator chugged down an “unknown poison” and died as soon as his prison sentence was read! All I can say is goodbye, and thanks for saving the taxpayer’s money, scumbag.

It happened just as a Denton County jury found Edward Leclair, 57, guilty of five counts of sexual assault against one juvenile victim. According to the Associated Press, the Texas Rangers are now investigating the incident.

Denton County Assistant District Attorney Jamie Beck said Leclair had the water bottle at the defense table the whole time he was in court that day but wasn’t drinking it; little did anyone know that the reason why was because it did not contain water.

When the guilty verdict was read, he “just chugged it,” Beck said.

Mike Howard, Leclair’s defense attorney, said he thought he had seen his client sipping from the water bottle throughout the morning, local paper the Denton Record-Chronicle reported.

Howard said that when the verdict was read, he watched Leclair steadied himself and then took a prolonged drink from his water bottle before he was taken back to the holding room.

Witnesses said the contents of the water bottle appeared “murky.”

A county investigator assigned to the courtroom had also seen Leclair chug the contents of his water bottle and sent a bailiff to check on him in the holding room, the Denton Record-Chronicle reported.

The Denton County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) press release on Aug. 12 said the bailiff found Leclair collapsed and unconscious.

Howard said that deputies performed First Aid on his client until an ambulance arrived. 

“I saw him being taken out on the gurney,” the lawyer told reporters at the courthouse right after the incident. “His color and pallor didn’t look good – gray – and then he was taken to the hospital. Beyond that, that’s all I can say.”

The Denton Fire Department received a 911 call from the courthouse at about 2:39 p.m.

“They found the patient unconscious but breathing, in custody and evaluated him at the scene,” Denton Battalion Chief David Boots wrote in an email. “He was then transported to a local hospital in critical condition where he later died.”

The next morning, the judge brought the jury back into the courtroom and explained what had happened to the defendant.

“Everyone expressed how thankful they were for their services and stressed that it was not their fault and not their responsibility,” Howard said.

The attorney said the judge hasn’t yet set a date to return to court to finish settling Leclair’s case. He said it was likely that the judge would declare a mistrial.

“To a legal extent, it does prevent ultimate justice being done for all sides,” Howard said. “The alleged victim and Ed’s family won’t get to the ultimate conclusion.”

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet released a cause of death for Leclair, and the Texas Rangers are investigating his death in custody.

As to his crimes, police arrested Leclair on July 26, 2018, for a series of illicit acts that began in July of 2016.

The search warrant affidavit said that his victim – a 14-year-old girl – had posted a personal ad on Craig’s List. Leclair replied to the ad, met up with the underage girl, and drove her to a hotel where they engaged in sex, according to the affidavit.

Charging documents said Leclair paid her $200, and she emailed a naked picture of herself to him afterwards, the Denton Record-Chronicle reported.

The victim told Leclair she was 14 years old after the first encounter, but he continued to communicate with her for sex, according to the affidavit. The search warrant affidavit said Leclair and the girl had three more sexual encounters, including one that occurred at Leclair’s home in Frisco.

Police launched an investigation after the victim’s mother reported that her then 16-year-old daughter had been sexually assaulted by Leclair.