Robert Fuller death by hanging ruled a suicide

The death of a Black man found hanging from a tree in a Palmdale city park last month was ruled a suicide today following a police investigation that was prompted by outrage from the family who thought authorities were too quick to rule out the possibility he had been lynched.

Robert Fuller’s body was found in Palmdale on the morning of June 10. There were no signs of a struggle and no signs that he had attempted to remove the rope from his neck, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Cmdr. Chris Marks said.
The determination came after a “thorough” investigation with the California Department of Justice and the FBI, sheriff’s officials said at a press conference Thursday.

The family has requested an independent autopsy.