The family of a woman who died in October is hiring a Los Angeles police officer, accused of founding her body and sharing film footage with others.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that officer David Rojas sexually molested Elizabeth Baggett. The lawsuit also alleges invasion of privacy, intentional violation of emotional distress, negligence, abuse of human remains and other crimes.
Gloria Allred, the lawyer representing the Baggett family, called Rojas’ proven behavior “meaning, vanity, base and contempt.”
“Elizabeth’s unexpected loss has been devastating to this family, and learning that she and her remains were so disrespectful and disgraced has inflicted the loss and caused terrible pain and suffering to her loved ones,” Allred said in a statement. “So many women are being sexually abused in their lives, and now we are learning that some are sexual victims even after their death.”
Baggett was 34 at the time of her death and had one son, according to an online obituary.
Rojas remains employed by Los Angeles police but is not on active duty, a spokesman said. His lawyer, Robert Ernenwein, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Baggett family filed a lawsuit against the city, Rojas and several unnamed parties. They are seeking unspecified damages and a lawsuit.
The lawsuit does not name the Los Angeles Police Department as a suspect.
“Shock and disgust do not even come close to describing the horror of hearing this news,” the woman’s wife, Janet Baggett, said in a statement Tuesday. “We, her family, have sleepless nights, when we are able to sleep. I personally wake up in sweats of the nightmares that haunt me about the events of Elizabeth’s death. Days are not much better. “
Rojas apparently touched Baggett when he was alone with her body on October 20, after he and his partner responded to the house where she died.
Her manner of death was attributed to an accidental overdose, according to the medical examiner’s office.
After Rojas and his partner determined that the woman was dead, the partner left the room and Rojas fired his body-wounded camera, but the camera captured the expected fondling in the moments before the officer turned it on again, as the devices two minutes have buffered periods to capture what happens immediately before they are activated, the Associated Press has previously reported.
Elizabeth Baggett’s 15-year-old son, Preston Sertich, said he wanted to work in legislation until he learned about the allegations.
“To David Rojas: After losing my mother and processing what you did to her in her time of need, I can not sleep. All I can think about is, ‘Why ?!’ How could you do that? ”Sertich said in a statement. “You had to know what you were doing was powerlessly wrong and immoral.”
Rojas was accused in December of one count of having sexual contact with human remains. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $ 20,000 bail, according to jail records.
Rojas’ criminal trial has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles Times reported. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for September, according to online court records.
“This incident is extremely disturbing and does not represent the values of the Los Angeles Police Department,” said LAPD Chief Michel Moore at the time.
Andrew Blankstein contributed.
