CNN
—
An American public defender who died this month whilst celebrating his first marriage ceremony anniversary in Mexico “was the victim of a brutal crime,” his circle of relatives mentioned, noting a coroner’s liaison informed them the case was once despatched to a neighborhood prosecutor “to conduct a possible homicide investigation.”
Elliot Blair, 33, a deputy public defender in Orange County, California, died from “severe head trauma,” the liaison mentioned, bringing up an post-mortem, in keeping with a circle of relatives observation equipped through their legal professional, David Scarsone.
Blair was once discovered lifeless Saturday on the Las Rocas Resort in Rosarito Beach – a 45-mile pressure south of San Diego – the place he and his spouse Kim have been staying.
The Baja California Attorney General’s Office mentioned the demise looked to be the “result of an unfortunate accident from a fall by the now deceased from a third-story floor,” in keeping with its observation to the Orange County Register.
The company didn’t right away reply to CNN’s request for remark. Rosarito Beach police didn’t right away go back CNN’s calls.
Blair’s circle of relatives has now not had touch with Mexican regulation enforcement about his demise, they mentioned.
“The family, which has extensive legal training in criminal law, wholeheartedly believes based on their initial investigation, that Elliot was the victim of a brutal crime,” its observation reads.
While Blair’s kin don’t be offering any explicit proof of against the law, they dispute his demise happened off the couple’s hotel room balcony and say it took place out of doors the room’s entrance door in an open-air walkway, in keeping with the observation.
“Elliot was not intoxicated at the time of this incident,” the circle of relatives mentioned, including they informed the coroner’s liaison they’ll rent a personal company to behavior an impartial investigation, together with toxicology. The liaison had informed them a toxicology record had now not been finished, they mentioned.
The circle of relatives opposes cremation of Blair’s frame, they mentioned, noting that during conversations with a funeral house they have got been informed a number of occasions that government have really useful that procedure.
A fundraiser in honor of Blair’s reminiscence has been arranged through a colleague to lend a hand Blair’s spouse with the “cumbersome process involved in transporting Elliot’s body from Mexico to the USA and dealing with all the red tape,” reads the donation web page arrange through Annie Rodriguez, to whom CNN has reached out.
“We wish we could provide everyone with more information, but very limited information has been disclosed by authorities in Mexico,” it reads.
Elliot and Kim were within the public defender’s place of job in Orange County since 2017, the web page states.
“Elliot was known for a smile on his face and a clever mind,” the website online reads. “There are not enough words to express the level of love he had for Kim. Kim was his life. They just started building a life together in their first year of marriage.”
Orange County Public Defender Martin Schwarz referred CNN to Scarsone.
