Goldstein Investigation: 2 Men Mysteriously Died In His Apartment, He Calls Our Reporter 'An A--Hole'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Two men died mysteriously in the West Hollywood apartment of Democratic party fundraiser Ed Buck, but when CBS2 investigative reporter David Goldstein confronted him, Buck didn't have much to say.
"Why don't you answer any questions? You have two people who died in your house," Goldstein asks.
"Because you're being an a--hole," Buck replies.
Buck was blunt. Not answering any questions.
The wealthy political donor who's hobnobbed with the likes of Hillary Clinton and Jerry Brown, wasn't talking when Goldstein confronted him about what happened in his apartment that left two men dead.
"Can I ask you, can you answer the question? Is it a coincidence that two men have died in your apartment?," Goldstein asks. "Why are you walking backwards?"
"You should be ashamed of yourself," Buck replies.
"Why should I be ashamed," Goldstein asks.
"You assaulted me," Buck says.
"I'm not touching you at all, sir" Goldstein says.
West Hollywood residents have been calling for Buck's arrest outside his apartment.
They chanted "We want justice." They wanted their voices heard at City Hall.
But for the past year-and-a-half, the elusive Buck hasn't been seen. Inside his second-story unit, his windows are covered up. Never answering questions about Timothy Dean who died in that very apartment last month.
An autopsy is still pending on the cause of death.
Or Gemmel Moore, who died of what authorities determined was an accidental drug overdose in Buck's apartment in July 2017. Moore allegedly wrote in his diary, "I've become addicted to drugs. Ed Buck is the one to thank. He gave me my first injection of crystal meth."
"Mr. Buck, is it a coincidence that two men have died in your apartment? Can you tell me that?" Goldstein asked, adding, "Mr. Moore says that you injected him with drugs. Did you inject him with drugs?"
Buck hasn't been charged with any crimes. After Dean's death, L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva called for "a secondary review of the tragic death of Gemmel Moore" And he added, "All findings will be submitted to the LA County DA's Office for review and determination as to whether the actions of Mr. Buck warrant criminal filings."
"I do believe he's responsible for his death," says Jasmyne Cannick. She's a community activist who has written about the case.
Goldstein asks her "Who is Ed Buck?"
She says, "Ed Buck is a major donor to Democrats here in the state of California He's a LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS activist. He's a white man who has a thing for young black men."
While Buck stays mostly in his apartment, on one recent day our surveillance cameras caught him coming out to meet the UPS truck.
Then he drove to a nearby 7-Eleven and met up with a young black man -- probably in his 20s -- who was eating ice cream. They went inside, for a about an hour then left to go to the Beverly Center where Goldstein tried to talk to him.
"Mr. Buck, I'm David Goldstein with CBS2 News. Sir, what's going on in your apartment? Sir? Can you tell us that?"
Goldstein asks him more questions.
"Do you think your political influence is keeping you a free man now, sir?," he asks.
"Is this young man with you now, is he is any harm? This young man with you - is he in any harm?," Goldstein asks.
The young man stood off to the side not wanting to be on TV.
Goldstein asks him if he knows who he is with. "You know who he is, right?," Goldstein asks.
"I know who he is," he replies.
"Okay, that's all I want to know," Goldstein says.
But through it all, Buck didn't want to explain what happened that left two men dead in his apartment.
"Why don't you answer any questions," Goldstein says, "You have two people who died in your house."
"Because you're being an a--hole," Buck says.
"Sir, I'm asking questions," Goldstein says.
Sheriff's officials said they have no timetable on their investigation. The autopsy on Timothy Dean perhaps will provide a road map of where this case is headed -- so far, it hasn't been completed.
