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Officials concluded that the California attorney who was slain in Mexico while on a trip with his wife to celebrate their first wedding anniversary died as a result of a “unfortunate accident,” despite his family’s assertions that he was murdered.
According to Orange County Public Defender Martin Schwarz, associate public defender Elliot Blair, 33, died on Saturday on Rosarito Beach, on the Baja Peninsula just south of the northern US border with Tijuana.
On a GoFundMe page, his family and coworkers believe that the young attorney “was the victim of a brutal crime.”
The Orange County Register stated that the Baja California Attorney General’s Office determined following an autopsy that Blair’s death looked to be “the unfortunate result of a fall by the deceased from a third-floor balcony.”
Assistant Orange County public defender Elliot Blair was slain in Mexico while on a trip with his wife to celebrate their one wedding anniversary.
Blair and his wife, Kim, a fellow public defender, were staying at the Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Rosarito, some 40 miles south of San Diego, when he passed away.
In a brief statement cited by the Register, Mexican authorities stated that the investigation is ongoing and that they are in communication with the US Justice Department and FBI.
David Scarsone, the family’s attorney, voiced doubt that Blair fell from the third-floor balcony and stated that he would undertake a second investigation.
“Many unsolved questions exist. “(The family) is contesting (the Mexican authorities’) conclusion,” Scarsone told the newspaper.
The Register stated that local officials told the news outlet Patrulla 646 Código Rojo that hotel employees alerted police about 1:15 a.m. after discovering Blair’s death.
The publication alleged that investigators found evidence that Blair was under the influence of alcohol at the time of his death.
John Jenks, a private investigator who had worked with Blair, described the news of his death as a “gut punch.”
Jenks told NBC Los Angeles, “He knew the law, he was well prepared, his courtroom presentation was outstanding, down to earth, and relatable, and he knew the cases inside and out.”
“I cannot express how badly I feel for his colleagues, his wife, and his family,” he added, adding that the loss is “heartbreaking” regardless of how Blair died.
Jenks lamented the “good, caring, and compassionate man who played a significant role in the lives of countless individuals”
Elliot and Kim Blair celebrated their first wedding anniversary at the four-star Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Rosarito Beach, Mexico.
Since 2017, the year Elliot took the bar test, the duo has become “dedicated Public Defenders in Orange County,” according to the campaign.
“Elliot was recognized for being a patient and kind campaigner. Numerous members of our practice and the Orange County legal community held him in high regard. We are devastated,” the post stated.
“Elliot was recognized for his pleasant disposition and sharp intelligence. There are insufficient words to describe the depth of his affection for Kim. Kim was his entire existence,” the passage said.
“During their first year of marriage, they have only begun to construct a life together. Elliot was murdered on the couple’s first wedding anniversary. “Kim’s heart is broken,” the GoFundMe website continued.
»According to Mexican authorities, a California lawyer died in a “unfortunate accident.”«