LAPD Detective on Derrick Rose Rape Case Found Dead of Gunshot Wound

Nadine Hernandez, the Los Angeles Police Department detective who was involved in the investigation into rape charges against Derrick Rose filed in connection with a civil suit in L.A., was found dead of a gunshot wound in a home in Whittier. Police received a call at 2:45 Tuesday afternoon regarding an attempted suicide and Hernandez was taken to PIH Health Hospital, where she was pronounced dead less than an hour later. Police could not say whether Hernandez's death was a suicide or homicide, but Whittier Lt. Steve Dean said they were investigating the matter. Hernandez was 44 years old.

Less than a month ago, on September 22nd, Hernandez wrote a letter to Brandon Anand, an attorney representing the plaintiff who sued Derrick Rose and two of his friends alleging gang rape, confirming that an investigation into the matter was active and ongoing. The letter also highlighted the need for victims' anonymity in cases of this nature, which had become a source of contention in the Rose suit.

The Derrick Rose trial began on October 4th and has continued to this week, with Rose taking the witness stand on Friday. His appearance continued for a second day on Tuesday. Rose denies all the charges against him.

Update: According to the LA Times Hernandez's death is now being investigated as a suicide, though it is an "ongoing investigation." In a statement, the LAPD said "there is no indication that her case work had any connection to her death," and the Rose investigation will continue.

Julia Marsh of the New York Post reports that Rose's attorney Mark Baute informed the courtroom of her death and both sides gave conflicting accounts of what Hernandez had told them about the case.

"She unequivocally has stated that a crime had been committed," Brandon Anand, who represents the accuser, told reporters.

He said he met with Hernandez in 2015 and that "less than a month ago, we met with her in plaintiff's parents' house in Northern California."

But in court, Baute claimed Hernandez told him "there's no rape case here" and made him aware of potentially damning text messages that the accuser sent to Rose — but never turned over to defense ahead of trial.

Baute moved for a mistrial on the grounds that the accuser and her attorneys intentionally withheld these text messages during the pre-trial discovery process, but the judge denied that motion, saying there was no evidence to suggest it was anything but inadvertent.