After ex-Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski failed to show up to court Monday morning, two sources familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition their names not be used said that the former officer died by suicide in his Edwardsville home.

Golubski died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a third source familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition their name not be used.

A federal judge granted an arrest warrant for Golubski, facing six felony charges, on Monday morning when he didn’t appear in court on time. The process of jury selection was on track to begin for his long-awaited, 17-day trial.

As his whereabouts were discussed in court, defense attorney Chris Joseph told the judge Golubski had been “despondent about the media coverage.”

A representative of the U.S. Marshals Service informed the court that Golubski had been inside his residence as of 8:57 a.m., according to his monitoring device.

U.S. District Judge Toby Crouse granted the failure to appear warrant and adjourned court temporarily. A first wave of potential jurors was excused for the day.

Court reconvened at 11 a.m. on Monday, and prosecutors said that Golubski had died and asked the court to dismiss the case.

The motion was granted, and the case was dismissed.

The case stems from the first of two federal indictments brought against Golubski, 71, since 2022. Prosecutors charged with six felony counts of depriving the civil rights of two women, one of whom was as young as 13 years old when the alleged abuse began.

Both women were expected to testify to instances of rape and sexual misconduct during the 1990s and early 2000s at the hands of Golubski. He is accused of repeatedly forcing himself on them, in his patrol vehicle or in the case of one, in her home, under the threat of death or retribution.

Golubski had maintained innocence. His defense was prepared to argue at trial that the claims against him were fabrications.

Late Monday morning, Golubski’s Edwardsville home was cordoned off with crime scene tape. There was a large law enforcement presence on the residential block, including Edwardsville police officers.

A KCK police officer between 1975 and 2010, prosecutors allege Golubski routinely used his badge to shield himself from justice. Golubski, who is white, is accused of targeting vulnerable Black women and sexually exploiting several he encountered while on the job.

One of the victims, identified in court papers as S.K., claims the former detective first lured her into his patrol car by telling her she was a witness to a crime. He is accused of raping her on occasions between 1998 and 2001, threatening to kill her or her grandmother if she failed to adhere to his demands.

The second victim, referred to as O.W. in court papers, is Ophelia Williams, who has shared her allegations against Golubski publicly. She alleges Golubski first raped her 1999, beginning shortly after her teenage sons were arrested and charged in a homicide case that Golubski investigated.

The allegations raised by the women first came to light in civil court through a lawsuit brought by Lamonte McIntyre, who contended Golubski framed him for a 1994 double murder. Lawyers for McIntyre and his mother, Rose, said in court filings that Golubski victimized, assaulted or harassed more than 70 women. In 2017, McIntyre was exonerated and released from prison, following 23 years of wrongful incarceration.

Federal prosecutors allege Golubski also served as a protector of feared drug kingpin Cecil Brooks. The former detective is one of four — alongside Brooks and associates LeMark Roberson and Richard “Bone” Robinson — accused of running an underage sex trafficking ring out of an apartment complex at Delavan Avenue and 26th Street. Prosecutors allege the girls were held at the apartment complex “in a condition of involuntary sexual servitude” and used “like chattel.”

As a detective, Golubski allegedly protected Brooks and the others from police investigation as they trafficked and raped the girls.

Kansas City, Kansas, community leaders have long pointed to Golubski as evidence of deep-seated problems within the city’s police department, calling on the U.S. Justice Department to launch a pattern or practice investigation.

Faith leaders organized a bus trip from Kansas City, Kansas, to Topeka on Monday, rallying in front of the courthouse with prayer, chants and song. The group braved the cold for the rally and packed up before noon.

This story was originally published December 2, 2024, 10:14 AM.