Ex-LAPD officer charged with child sex crimes dies in custody; no foul play suspected
A former Los Angeles Police Department officer accused of committing lewd acts on four young boys at his Covina home died while in custody.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the former officer, Paul Razo, 46, had a pre-existing condition and experienced a medical condition before dying at Los Angeles General Hospital. The disgraced officer was charged with eight counts of lewd acts on a child on May 5. He was arrested five days later and was scheduled to appear for his arraignment on Monday. His arraignment was delayed multiple times last week for unspecified reasons.
Razo was accused of committing these lewd acts at his home in the 4800 block of Brightview Drive in the Covina area, according to the District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors claimed that Razo knew the four little boys, two of whom were related to him and the other two alleged victims were related to a woman Razo dated.
The District Attorney's Office said the alleged crimes happened between 2006-2017. The office added that the boys were between the ages of 9 and 13 years old when the alleged abuse began.
"Chief Michel Moore is deeply disturbed by these allegations as they are in direct opposition to the Department's Core Values and expectations of a Los Angeles Police Officer. Officer Razo has been employed by the Los Angeles Police Department for approximately 24 years and was last assigned to Hollywood Area as a training coordinator. He separated from the Department in March 2023," LAPD officials said in a statement.
In 2018, Razo received an LAPD Medal of Valor for rescuing a man from a burning car in 2016. He was off-duty in Glendora at the time.
