DANVILLE — For nearly a month, classmates suspected that San Ramon Valley High School freshman Benjamin Curry killed himself, opinions shared by local media. But an autopsy report, obtained exclusively by this news agency Tuesday, determined that the teenager died of an accidental drowning while attending swim class.
Now the question is how it could have happened.
Video of the pool area as class ended showed the 15-year-old Danville resident going under the water, and other students swimming to the edge of the pool and getting out and leaving the facility, according to the autopsy report. It wasn’t until an hour later, when a new swim class entered the area, that Curry’s body was spotted at the bottom of the pool.
The fact that the school did not act strongly to counteract the rumors that their son committed suicide led Curry’s family to hire attorney Andy Schwartz. The district, he says, let the incorrect story of a suicide swirl for weeks despite the immediate knowledge of surveillance footage capturing the accident and the context of Curry participating in his normally scheduled swim class when the accident happened.
“Class was dismissed without him and the teacher in charge of the class left Benjamin behind. The school knew that and didn’t make the effort to correct the false narrative that they knew was out there,” said Schwartz, adding that Curry knew how to swim. “He was found in his bathing suit. He went swimming. He didn’t commit suicide.”
San Ramon Valley Unified School District spokeswoman Elizabeth Graswich said they could not comment on an active police investigation and directed questions to Danville police or coroner officials.
“Our thoughts continue to be with the student’s family and loved ones, as well as our students and staff,” she said.
The 16-page Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office autopsy and toxicology report provides the clearest picture yet of what happened that May 8 afternoon on the Danville campus, and it contradicts media reports where students speculated on camera that Curry may have intentionally drowned himself because he had tried to kill himself before.
The freshman, wearing a black swimsuit, as noted by forensic pathologist Dr. Arnold Josselson, attended his normal fourth period physical education swimming class from 11:40 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Danville Police school resource officer Kyle Rhoton told a coroner’s deputy what happened next based on surveillance footage of the pool that he watched just hours after the boy’s death.
Rhoton reported seeing Curry in the pool with “multiple” other students at the end of class around 12:30 p.m.
“He observed the decedent submerge and not surface. It did not appear any other students were involved with the decedent going under water,” the report said. “Due to camera angles, it was unclear if the decedent remained under the surface of the water or if he surfaced in another area of the pool.”
As class ended, other students were seen swimming to the edge of the pool and leaving the pool area, but due to camera angles, it was unclear if Curry left the pool or if he remained in the pool, the coroner’s deputy wrote. The video showed no more activity until 1:40 p.m. when the fifth period swim class arrived after the lunch break, Schwartz said.
About 10 minutes after the start of the swim session, some students observed their classmate underwater and alerted a different P.E. teacher who jumped into the pool and removed Curry with help from students, according to the report.
An excerpt from a Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office autopsy report shows investigators do not believe Benjamin Curry killed himself.
That teacher alerted staff and began CPR. Rhoton was notified via radio at 1:51 p.m., and assisted with life-saving measures until emergency crews arrived, the report said. Curry was taken to Kaiser hospital in Walnut Creek, where he was declared dead.
The toxicology report found “therapeutic levels” of antidepressants and a trace amount of marijuana in Curry’s system, but investigators did not indicate either played any role in his death.
The report also indicated Curry had a history of depression and anxiety, and a family member told investigators he had “suicidal ideations,” but in the end they found no evidence Curry tried to kill himself.
“Although the decedent suffered from depression, there is no indication the decedent intended to drown himself,” the coroner concluded.
“He was a popular young man,” Schwartz said. “You read in media reports that he was bullied, but it doesn’t appear to be the case.”
On the day of the accident, San Ramon Valley High principal Jason Krolikowski told the East Bay Times the public should not speculate about a cause before a thorough investigation could be completed.
“I know there are a lot of rumors and students asking questions,” he said at the time. “It is important that we continue to discourage the spreading of rumors and give Danville police time to complete their investigation.”
In media reports in the days after Curry’s death, classmates speculated that he killed himself due to struggles with mental illness and bullying. Schwartz said that perception has continued over the last month and devastated the family.
“It just adds to their pain,” he said. “It’s your worst nightmare as a parent.”
One student told the East Bay Times that he had seen Curry in the locker right before class started, happy and laughing.
“This is an unspeakable tragedy,” Schwartz said. “He was a wonderful young man.”
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Fair Use and Repurposed Formatting
By Pete Bennett
The re-posting of articles sole purpose is to set in stone what was stated. The added elements are for navigation, validation and correlating to related incidents. Mr. Bennett connections to these incidents parallel his history of the untoward connection to police corruption and the conviction of the District Attorney.
Melania Trump hasn't appeared in public for 19 days
Peter Bennett
Washington (CNN)It's been 19 days since the public has laid eyes on first lady Melania Trump. In the early hours of May 10, Trump welcomed home three American hostages from North Korea, accompanying President Donald Trump to greet them on arrival at Joint Base Andrews; it would be the last time public appearance by the first lady for more than two weeks. Four days later, Trump was checked in to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for what her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham in a press release described as, "an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney condition." That statement was released post-procedure, allowing Grisham to add that it was "successful and there were no complications." Yet 15 days later, the most anyone has heard from Trump has come via Twitter, with just one addressing her medical procedure. Melania Trump ✔ @FLOTUS A sincere thank you to Walter Reed Medical Unit @WRBethesda & to all who have send good wishes & prayers! I am feeling great & look forward to getting back home @WhiteHouse soon. 1:01 PM - May 16, 2018 111K 24.5K people are talking about this Twitter Ads info and privacy "A sincere thank you to Walter Reed Medical Unit @WRBethesda & to all who have send good wishes & prayers! I am feeling great & look forward to getting back home @WhiteHouse soon. Since her almost week-long hospital stay, Trump has also tweeted about the school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas; the Navy SEAL who was awarded the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony, which she did not attend, on May 24; and most recently, a tweet supporting the military in honor of Memorial Day.
You may not remember me from ComputerLand Corporate located on West Las Positas directly across from Vanstar. That was between Oct 1995 February 1996 about 18 months after ComputerLand was sold to Merisel FAB.
My reports were the prime reason Merisel's stock crashed in November 1995.
Before that our connection is your retail stores in Contra Costa County plus my shop was the approved ComputerLand Vendor for the new designs issued in 1985. I lost the shop in 1989 after losing Bennett v. Southern Pacific.
Uncovered years after losing millions in 1989 was pretty cool and super daring.
Someone murdered my witness. That connects Safeway CEO Steve Burd roots at Safeway to his roots at Southern Pacific to the Alamo/Danville area.
By the way two of other cabinet customers were PacBell Infosystems and AT&T Phone Center Stores plus Record Factory.
A Los Angeles County judge who also was a recognized expert in communications law was killed Monday when he was struck by a vehicle while crossing a West L.A. street, police said.
The judge, identified as Daniel L. Brenner by a court spokeswoman, was walking across Beverwil Drive near Pico Boulevard about 6 p.m. when a driver heading north struck him, said Los Angeles police Officer Tony Im.
The driver remained at the scene and is not under a criminal investigation, Im said. Brenner was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was 64.
Brenner was not using the crosswalk, LAPD Sgt. Benjamin Zucker said.
"He was a brilliant judge and lawyer and a beloved friend to many," said Judge Carolyn Kuhl, the presiding judge of the L.A. County Superior Court. "His death is a terrible loss for his family and the court."
Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Brenner to the bench in 2012, and the jurist had most recently heard civil matters in the Chatsworth Courthouse, according to court spokeswoman Mary Hearn.
At the time of his appointment, Brenner had been a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Hogan Lovells LLP after spending about 17 years as the vice president of the regulatory department at the National Cable and Telecommunications Assn., an industry group.
Brenner had previously served as a top advisor to the chair of the Federal Communications Commission.
"Dan's insightful knowledge of telecommunications law made him a formidable force in public policy during his years leading the legal department at NCTA," said Michael Powell, president and CEO of the cable and telecom group.
"A prominent and distinguished member of the federal communications bar, Dan was a key staffer and advisor to two FCC chairmen during a time of immense change," he added.
Many praised Brenner for his sharp legal mind as well as his comedic talent.
For several years, Brenner performed stand-up comedy in clubs across the country and even taught a comedy course at UCLA Extension. He told The Times in 1991 that lawyers and comedians faced similar tasks: using language to be persuasive.
Brenner had earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University, and he graduated from Stanford Law School. Following law school, he was a clerk for U.S. District Court Judge William Byrne Jr.
During his career, Brenner wrote two legal textbooks and served as an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University Law Center, Washington College of Law at American University and Cardozo Law School. He previously served as a faculty member at UCLA's law school and was a lecturer at USC's Gould School of Law, according to his USC biography
EL CERRITO, CA — For more than eight months, someone has gotten away with murder. A cold-blooded murder in front of an El Cerrito home. Now, friends and family of James Gilliland Jr., 62, are stepping up efforts to bring his killers to justice. A $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the homicide.
The lawyer was fatally shot in the 2600 block of Mira Vista Drive around 8:45 p.m. on Oct 27, 2016, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A $50,000 reward was announced in November, and that amount has since been doubled, according to a website set up at www.justice4jim.com.
Gilliland sang in a church choir and was a fan of the San Francisco Giants as well as the Golden State Warriors, according to a statement issued by his family today.
"He was a big-hearted and warm person, generous with his time and skills to anyone who might benefit," the statement read. "It is hard for us to imagine who would want to kill such a kind and gentle soul."
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Gilliland worked in the San Francisco office of the Atlanta-based law firm Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton LLP. He was a partner and had served as chairman of the firm's litigation department.
Tips about his killer can be called in to (866) TIP-4JIM or emailed to info@justice4jim.com. The El Cerrito Police Department can be reached at (510) 215-4400 or investigations@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us.
--Bay City News contributed to this report/Image courtesy of Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton LLP
City of Pleasant Hill,
City of Walnut Creek
Missing Persons
Murders
Real Estate Investment Trust,
The COOP Grocery Store Transactions
The Ellinwood Farm Murders
The Missing Geary Road Farmers
Commander Chris Wenzel Danville Clayton and the jail
Deputy Francies worked for him and he drowned go figure.
Magnanimity saved my life in April of 2012 when I got out of jail another person known to me have been murdered that night and then someone known to Wenzel another Mormon was murdered on Westbound 24th once again
Case CIVMSC98-00227 - KIM FANG VS CUSTOM HOMES BY MCADAM
From the late 50s' to 1980s this would be my part time residence but
today I sleep next trash cans in Walnut Creek enduring
endless attempts on my life lasting decades. When the last
arrest by RegencyCenters.com at Plaza Escuela once owned by
BlakeHunt.com, now called BlakeGriggs.com
Pete Bennett, plaintiff in the above matter, Bennett files suit in in October
1987 unaware that Safeway CEO Steve Burd was once a Southern Pacific Employee at
C-Level in SP Marketing.
Bennett was the owned of Mainframe Designs Cabinets and Fixtures, located on
Bliss Ave Pittsburg CA. The next graphic reveals the building, a sampling
of clients lost when Bennett lost part of his left hand but in 1988 forward
Bennett endured shootings, accidents, hit and runs, arrests, arson, and attempts
of his life.
The worst event was the murder of Cynthia Kempf then friends with Bennett's
fiance, and his local friends in the East County Area.
The March 14, 1988 Murder leads to the arrest and conviction of Officer Eric
Bergen and Sgt. Elsie
Mar 29, 2002 - Despondent that he was facing punishment for a fatal meningitis outbreak last year that was linked to his pharmacy, a young pharmacist committed suicide by overdosing himself with powerful painkiller patches, coroner's reports say. Jamey Phillip Sheets, 32, who owned just under half of Doc's Pharmacy ...
Oct 22, 2012 - Its co-owner, Jamey Phillip Sheets, committed suicide by overdosing with painkiller patches a year later. Unlike drug manufacturers, which are regulated by the FDA, compounding pharmacies usually fall under state pharmacy boards' jurisdiction. The FDA can step in if it has concerns about a compounding ...
Mar 28, 2002 - fatal meningitis outbreak was found dead with six skin patches containing a powerful painkiller attached to his body. The body of Jamey Phillip Sheets, 32, the former co-owner of Doc's Pharmacy, was discovered by his wife, Michelle, on Tuesday. Michelle Sheets told authorities her husband was depressed ...
