A 26-year-old California man facing charges of rape, kidnapping, and residential robbery died by suicide on Monday, October 5, the day before he was scheduled to appear in court. Alexander Schecter was found unresponsive at his family's residence in the 800 block of San Vicente Boulevard in Santa Monica, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The LA County Medical Examiner's office confirmed Schecter's death, listing the causes as mechanical asphyxia and neck compression. He had been charged in April in connection with two separate incidents that occurred five months apart.
According to Los Angeles County Superior Court filings, Schecter was accused of abducting a female UCLA student in March. Court documents state that he allegedly refused to allow the student to leave his vehicle and threatened violence. UCLA police arrested Schecter as a suspect in this kidnapping. During the investigation into the abduction, Schecter was also identified as a suspect in a sexual assault case from October 2025 in Culver City. The residential robbery and forced oral copulation charges stem from this earlier incident.
Prosecutors alleged that the offenses related to the October 2025 crime involved significant violence, bodily harm, and a high degree of cruelty. The district attorney's office stated that Schecter's alleged actions left two women with "unimaginable trauma."
If convicted, Schecter faced a potential sentence of 37 years to life in state prison. His family, speaking through his attorney, Debra S White, criticized District Attorney Nathan J Hochman's handling of the case. They noted that Schecter had autism spectrum disorder and anxiety, suggesting the reality of the case was more complex than public reports indicated.