A Los Angeles police officer accused of breastfeeding a dead woman after she died from an accidental overdose of drugs at her home last fall was filed Tuesday by her family.
The lawsuit accuses Officer David Rojas of beating Elizabeth Baggett when he was on duty and “felt her nipples, without restraint”, as well as showing the video camera video of it to others.
Rojas, who has been in power for four years, and his partner responded to the house where Baggett died on October 20, 2019. When his partner left the room, Rojas apparently killed his body camera and contained the dead man. 34-year-old woman.
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Officers wearing body cameras have a buffer period and will continue to record for two minutes after officers disable them, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“I’m afraid this man had so little respect for another man, our Elizabeth, because he did not think she was anyone’s daughter, grandmother and mother,” the woman’s wife, Janet Baggett, said on a news conference held Tuesday at the Los Angeles law firm of attorney Gloria Allred.
‘We, her family, have sleepless nights, when we can sleep. I’m personally awakened from the nightmares that haunt me about the events of Elizabeth’s death, ‘she said. “Days are not much better.”
Allred said Rojas’ actions were not only against the law, but violated “any sense of human decency.” The lawyer then read a statement written by Baggett’s 15-year-old son, Preston Sertich.
“What escaped this officer to believe that this was even possible?” asked the boy, adding that he once wanted to become a police officer before this happened to his mother. “Is there a pattern of behavior towards women, arresters, or decedents? How could you deploy this man and let him represent your city? ”
The lawsuit alleges invasion of privacy, intentional violation of emotional distress, negligence, abuse of human remains and other crimes. It cites Rojas, the city of Los Angeles and several others as suspects, but not the Los Angeles Police Department.
The submission comes in addition to criminal charges against Rojas, which were filed in January. His trial has apparently been delayed several times amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Janet Baggett said that LAPD Internal Affairs first finally came out in late 2019 to notify her of the allegations against Rojas. He was arrested and charged in January with sexual contact with human remains without authority. The officer pleaded not guilty and faces up to three years in state prison if convicted. He was released on $ 20,000 bail and is scheduled for Sept. 15, according to online records.
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Rojas remains employed by Los Angeles police but was fired in December, said LAPD spokesman Officer Mike Chan. The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union representing rank and file officers, has refused to pay for Rojas’ legal bill.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
