California public defender died in 'brutal crime' during Mexico anniversary trip, family says - NBC News

The household of a California nationalist defender who died portion celebrating his wedding day successful Mexico believes helium was the unfortunate of a "brutal crime," their lawyer said Tuesday.

Elliot Blair, 33, died Saturday extracurricular his edifice country astatine Las Rocas Resort and Spa successful Rosarito Beach, astir 32 miles southbound of San Diego, the lawyer, David Scarsone, said successful a statement.

The incidental occurred successful an open-air walkway connected the resort's 3rd floor, helium said. Blair was recovered successful his underwear and socks and a sleeping T-shirt extracurricular a country wherever helium and his woman and had stayed successful the past, the lawyer’s connection said.

Blair's household has not heard astir his decease straight from section authorities; instead, they learned astir what happened from a "liaison" to the section coroner's office, the lawyer's connection said.

The liaison, who is not identified successful the statement, told the household that Blair died of terrible caput trauma and that his lawsuit had been forwarded to prosecutors for a imaginable homicide investigation, the connection said.

Rosarito Beach Mayor Hilda Araceli Brown Figueredo did not respond to a petition for comment. A spokeswoman for Las Rocas Resort said the edifice has been moving intimately with section authorities and declined to remark further.

In a connection provided Wednesday to NBC News by the resort's nationalist relations firm, the lawyer wide of Baja California said an probe showed Blair appeared to person fallen from the 3rd level soon earlier 1 a.m. He had nary captious signs erstwhile constabulary and aesculapian unit recovered him, the connection says.

The autopsy showed his injuries were apt from a autumn and not an enactment of violence, the connection says. An probe recovered nary grounds of unit successful the country wherever Blair and his woman were staying, the connection says.

The autopsy recovered signs of alcohol, the connection says. Scarsone has said Blair was not intoxicated and a toxicology study had not been completed.

Scarsone did not instantly respond to a petition Wednesday nighttime for remark astir the statement.

Mexican authorities had been communicating with American officials who, "from the archetypal time person been fixed each the each accusation truthful that, successful turn, done them, efforts tin beryllium made to pass and assistance relatives of the deceased lawyer," the lawyer general's connection says.

The U.S. State Department said it was alert of reports of the decease of a national successful Rosarito Beach, Mexico.

"We basal acceptable to supply each due consular assistance," the section said successful a connection Wednesday. "Out of respect to the household during this hard time, we person nary further comment."

Blair's household plans to transportation retired an autarkic investigation, hiring a backstage researcher and a forensic pathologist, Scarsone said.

"Elliot was a superb lawyer with a agleam future," the connection said. "Elliot’s grin was radiant and warmed the hearts of each idiosyncratic helium came successful interaction with. Elliot had an innate quality to link with radical from each walks of life."

Orange County Public Defender Martin Schwarz told The Register that Blair had worked for the nationalist defender’s bureau since 2017, the twelvemonth helium passed the barroom exam. His wife, Kimberly, besides worked for the nationalist defender’s office, Schwarz told the newspaper.

He said Blair was a “devoted husband, terrific idiosyncratic and a fantastic lawyer who dedicated his beingness to serving his clients and helping the county’s astir vulnerable."