LA Man Committed Suicide Before Rape Trial on Serious Charges

A 26-year-old man from Los Angeles took his own life at the family home they share near San Vicente Boulevard just hours before he was scheduled to appear in court on serious criminal charges. Alexander Schecter was found unconscious and not breathing early Monday morning inside the residence, which is valued at $3.3 million. The Los Angeles Times reported that the medical examiner confirmed death by suicide occurred on October 5. Official records list mechanical asphyxia and neck compression as the specific causes.

Schecter stood to face a preliminary hearing Tuesday regarding accusations of rape, forced oral copulation, abduction, and residential robbery. These charges stem from two separate incidents occurring five months apart. The first involved a female UCLA student allegedly kidnapped in the 500 block of Landfair Avenue during March. Authorities say he refused to let her leave his car and threatened violence. Four days later, police arrested him as the suspect in that kidnapping case.

Investigators also identified Schecter as a suspect in a sexual assault incident from October 2025 in Culver City. The robbery and forced oral copulation charges relate directly to that later event. If found guilty, he could have faced life in state prison or a term of up to 37 years. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J Hochman released a statement emphasizing the severity of the alleged crimes.

'It is further alleged that offenses related to the October 2025 crime involved great violence, great bodily harm, threat of great bodily harm, and other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness and callousness,' Hochman wrote. He noted that all victims were particularly vulnerable. The DA added that Schecter's 'callous and deeply disturbing actions' left two women with unimaginable trauma.

Despite the grim legal outlook, Schecter's family issued a statement through his attorney, Debra S White. They strongly criticized how District Attorney Hochman handled the case. White's website describes her as a lawyer who takes a strategic, hands-on approach to serious sex-crime investigations in Los Angeles courts. The family also highlighted that Schecter has autism spectrum disorder and anxiety. They argued that the reality of the situation is more complicated than the headlines suggested.