July 27, 2017
26-year-old Gemmel Moore dies of crystal meth overdose in the West Hollywood home of noted Democratic donor Ed Buck. The death is immediately ruled an accidental methamphetamine overdose by the coroner. The Sheriff’s Department does not investigate.
August 8, 2017
The Stonewall Democratic Club issues a statement on the death of Gemmel Moore and accepts the resignation of Ed Buck as as a member of the Stonewall Democratic Club and from the Stonewall Democratic Club Steering Committee.
August 10, 2017
LaTisha Nixon, Gemmel Moore’s mother, takes to social media to call out the Sheriff’s Department to investigate her son’t death.
August 14, 2017
Pages from Gemmel Moore’s personal journal are published by journalist Jasmyne Cannick.
In his journal, Moore wrote, “I honestly don’t know what to do. I’ve become addicted to drugs and the worst one at that,” a December entry reads. “Ed Buck is the one to thank. He gave me my first injection of crystal meth it was very painful, but after all the troubles, I became addicted to the pain and fetish/fantasy.”
“My life is at an alltime [sic] high right now & I mean that from all ways. I ended up back at Buck [sic] house again and got munipulated [sic] into slamming again. I even went to the point where I was forced to doing 4 within a 2day [sic] period. This man is crazy and its [sic] sad. Will I ever get help?”
“Slamming” refers to gay men injecting drugs such as mephedrone, GHB, or crystal meth.
Moore’s last entry, dated December 3, 2016, reads, “If it didn’t hurt so bad, I’d kill myself, but I’ll let Ed Buck do it for now.”
August 15, 2017
19 days later, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s homicide detectives finally launch a homicide investigation.
Numerous young men start coming forward with photos, emails, and text messages recounting similar stories involving Ed Buck and accusing him of being a sexual predator, kidnapping, forced drug use, injecting unconscious black gay men with crystal meth, filing false police reports to cover his crimes, coercion, pimping, and pandering
August 18, 2017
The family and friends of Gemmel Moore hold a vigil in West Hollywood and call upon law enforcement authorities to charge Ed Buck in the death of Gemmel Moore.
Rep. Karen Bass issues a statement on the death of Gemmel Moore and returns her $250 donation to his family.
August 19, 2017
Gemmel Moore’s funeral is held in South L.A.
August 21, 2017
LaTisha Nixon, Gemmel Moore’s mother, makes a passionate please before the West Hollywood City Council for help in getting justice for her son and all of Ed Buck’s victims. She asked for the City Council to support immunity for any potential witnesses and/or victims that may come forward. This was supported and echoed by West Hollywood Councilmember Lindsey Horvath.
West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem John Duran–who has also represented Ed Buck as his attorney and taken thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Buck over the years–warned that neither investigators nor city officials can grant immunity.
“Transparency doesn’t always work with the criminal justice system,” Duran said. “Transparency can subject you to criminal arrest and prosecution. So, before you do anything, you should seek legal counsel to advise you on how to proceed forward before you speak to law enforcement.”
August 26, 2017
Journalist Jasmyne Cannick publishes a comprehensive list of all of the Democratic candidates and organizations who have taken money from Ed Buck.
August 31, 2017
After getting virtually no response from elected officials in the Democratic Party who accepted money from Ed Buck, the family and friends of Gemmel Moore launch a petition calling on Democrats to return Ed Buck’s dirty money.
Attorney Nana Gyamfi announces that immunity has been granted to witnesses and victims to come forward safely and make statements to the Sheriff’s Department about Ed Buck.
September 11, 2017
Ed Buck sends an Uber to pick up a young Black gay man in South L.A. and bring him back to his house to do meth with him.
September 13, 2017
Witness and victim interviews begin with sheriff’s detectives.
September 20, 2017
Ed Buck’s criminal defense attorney, Seymour Amster, made an appearance at the meeting of the West Hollywood City Council to defend his client Ed Buck against what he referred to as “character assassination.”
Amster, who most recently represented serial killer Lonnie Franklin more commonly referred to as the Grim Sleeper, demanded to know if West Hollywood City Councilmember Lindsey Horvath was involved in what he referred to as “instigating, promoting or financing the character attacks on Mr. Buck.” He told the City Council that his office sent in a request for an ethics investigation of Councilmember Horvath for failing to disclose that Buck had in the past opposed her candidacy.
October 18, 2017
Newly discovered cellphones that belonged to Gemmel Moore are turned over to attorney and legal consultant Nana Gyamfi.
October 20, 2017 at 12:59 pm
This is a very sad event witch happened to Mr. moore and I hope that we can educate the young people with the dangers of drugs and sexual preditors who take advantage of young men and women sexual orientation.