Detective in Rose rape case dies

Hernandez found with gunshot wound to chest

A Los Angeles police detective who investigated sexual assault allegations made against New York Knicks star Derrick Rose died after she was found with an apparent self- inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday.

The death of LAPD Det. Nadine Hernandez, 44, is being investigated as a suicide, police in Whittier, Calif., said in a news release Wednesday.

“At this time there are no signs of foul play,” the agency said. “However, this is an ongoing investigation, and we will continue to collaborate with the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office as part of our investigation.”

Police in Whittier, a city about 12 miles east of Los Angeles, received a 911 call in which the caller reported hearing a gunshot at 2: 45 p. m. Tuesday. Officers responded to a residence and found Hernandez with a single gunshot wound to the chest. She was taken to an area hospital where she died, Whittier police said. A gun was found at the scene.

The Los Angeles Times and the City News Service were the first outlets to report Hernandez’s death.

Lt. David Smith, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, told USA TODAY Sports that Hernandez’s autopsy was scheduled to be performed Wednesday.

Last month, Hernandez sent a letter to lawyers representing the woman who accused Rose and two friends of sexually assaulting her in 2013 in which she described the LAPD investigation as ongoing. The letter was part of another bid by the accuser’s legal team to keep her identity secret at trial.

“The ability to offer anonymous to victims of sex crimes is an invaluable investigative aid to investigators as well as a great comfort to victims of crimes of such a sensitive nature,” Hernandez wrote.

U. S. District Court Judge Michael Fitzgerald criticized the filing before the start of the civil trial, which is underway in Los Angeles.

“The most recent and egregious example is the publicity given to a letter from an LAPD detective to plaintiff’s counsel, which would never be admissible at trial,” Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald said the accuser’s lawyers might have violated the California Rules of Professional Conduct — which forbid “threatening criminal charges to gain advantage in a civil dispute” and “prejudicial trial publicity” — by making the letter public.

DAMIAN DOVARGANES, AP Derrick Rose is being sued in civil court by a woman who accuses him of raping her. He denies any wrongdoing.