The body of David Michael Bruce, a high school drama teacher accused of child molestation, was found in his home on Wednesday after failing to appear in court. He died the same day prosecutors were to begin closing arguments in his criminal trial in Orange County. Bruce was 68 years old and charged with molesting five male students, ages 11 to 14, while working as a drama teacher at Sycamore Junior High School in Anaheim. The alleged incidents happened between 1996 and 2011.
Attorneys say Bruce lured the boys to his home or to a Los Angeles studio saying he has Hollywood connections. There he gave the boys massages before “rubbing, touching, and spanking” them. Bruce was charged with 10 counts of lewd acts on minors which included touching the minors’ genitals and buttocks, and engaging in oral copulation. He faced life in prison if convicted. For more information on child molestation and sex crimes please click here.
Bruce’s cause of death has not yet been released, though authorities suspect suicide.