Ex-KCK detective Roger Golubski found dead before trial

TOPEKA, Kan. -- The federal trial for former Kansas City, Kansas police detective Roger Golubski was supposed to start Monday, but Golubski did not show up, and prosecutors say he was found dead.

Federal prosecutors moved for a motion to dismiss the case after learning of Golubski's death, which was granted.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said Gulobski died from a gunshot wound. The death is not being investigated as a homicide. He was 71 years old.

Law enforcement set up a crime scene outside Golubski’s home on Monday morning for an investigation. A warrant had been issued for his arrest when he failed to appear in court on Monday morning.

Just after 9 a.m. Monday, the Edwardsville Police Department received a 911 call from a resident of 706 S. 9th Street in Edwardsville, reporting hearing a gunshot.

When officers arrived on the scene, they located Golubski on the back porch with a fatal gunshot wound.

Golubski faced charges of violating the civil rights of two women. He worked for the department for 35 years, retiring in 2010.

Along with accusations of using his authority as an officer to violate two women's civil rights, he faced allegations of sexually assaulting the victims between 1998 and 2002.

The Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equality (MORE2), gave FOX4 this statement:

“We know too much to trust the words of the KCKPD that Golubski died by suicide. We expect a full autopsy and an outside independent investigation. The department has done absolutely nothing when it comes to Golubski except now declaring his death a suicide. They owe his victims better than that.

Golubski is a coward and the many people he terrorized deserved to see him go to prison.“

As it relates to the claim that Golubski died by suicide, FOX4 is still working to confirm that detail. The Edwardsville Police Department was the initial investigating agency, and we've since learned that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is the lead agency.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher for the District of Kansas issued this statement:

“This matter involved extremely serious charges, and it is always difficult when a case is unable to be fully and fairly heard in a public trial and weighed and determined by a jury. The proceedings in this case may be over, but its lasting impact on all the individuals and families involved remains. We wish them peace and the opportunity for healing as they come to terms with this development and ask that they all be treated with respect and their privacy respected.”

Golubski was set to go to trial in a case where one of the victims was 13 or 14 years old when the alleged abuse started. Court documents include accusations of aggravated sexual abuse and kidnapping.

Prosecutors say female residents of poor neighborhoods in Kansas City, Kansas, feared that if they crossed paths with Roger Golubski, he’d demand sexual favors and threaten to harm or jail their relatives.

He was charged with six felony counts of violating women’s civil rights.

One double murder case Golubski investigated already has resulted in an exoneration and an organization run by rapper Jay-Z is suing to obtain police records.

Golubski pleaded not guilty, and his attorney said that lawsuits over the allegations are an “inspiration for fabrication” by his accusers. But prosecutors said that, along with the two women whose accounts are the heart of the criminal case, seven others would have testified that Golubski abused or harassed them.

Due to his health, he was under house arrest while awaiting trial. He was receiving dialysis treatments on a regular basis.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. FOX4 will update this story as we continue to confirm further developments.