A candlelight vigil was held Saturday night for Robert Fuller, a Palmdale man who was found dead this week hanging from a tree.
City and county leaders are now calling for an independent investigation into his death, after law enforcement said they suspected suicide, but family and friends don’t believe that explanation.
Robert Fuller’s family members, friends and even people who never met him gathered together in the park for a memorial full of candles and signs set up to honor him, while the crowd promised to keep pushing for justice and answers in his death.
Amid prayers and candle-lighting, some chanted, “No justice, no peace!”
Many faith leaders from the Antelope Valley also came out to speak and support Fuller’s family.
“We want the truth. We want answers. We demand answers now. We won’t stop until we get them,” family friend Isabel Flax said
The 24-year-old was found dead early Wednesday morning hanging from a tree in Poncitlan Square, across from City Hall.
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The Sheriff’s office suspected it was suicide, but said it’s still being investigated by the homicide bureau.
Fuller’s sister Diamond Alexander spoke at a rally earlier in the day. She said her brother was not suicidal and she fears something much sinister happened.
“Robert was a good little brother to us and it’s like everything that they’ve been telling us has not been right. We’ve been hearing one thing, then we hear another. And we just want to know the truth,” Alexander said.
The city of Palmdale and County Supervisor Kathryn Barger are requesting California’s Attorney General step in to oversee an independent investigation.
“We have people already in play that are going to help the family with a private investigation, a separate investigation, a separate autopsy. We are doing it all,” Flax said.
The crowd gathered around the family to pray for them and offer any help they can give. Family members thanked the crowd for the support and love.
A virtual town hall hosted by LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva is scheduled for Monday afternoon from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., where residents of Palmdale and Lancaster can discuss the death and the investigation.
“We are going to continue to seek answers. I love you all. And we are going to get justice for my little cousin. Rest in peace. And we are going to make sure his name lives forever,” Fuller’s cousin, also named Robert, said.
