Investigator Who Stole Gold Crucifix Off Dead Man's Neck Gets Jail Time: DA

LOS ANGELES, CA — A former county medical examiner investigator on Friday was sentenced to jail for stealing items from dead people, which prosecutors say included an incident in which the man snatched a gold crucifix off a man's neck after he had a fatal heart attack.

Adrian Muñoz, 36, of Los Angeles, was sentenced to 180 days in county jail, ordered to serve two years probation and pay $2,000 in restitution.

Munoz pleaded no contest April 10 to one felony count of grand theft and one misdemeanor count of petty theft, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Muñoz worked as an investigator for the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner, which saw him respond to deaths and help investigate their cause.

In January 2023, Muñoz responded to a report of a warehouse worker who died of a heart attack while on the job in South Los Angeles. Surveillance footage showed Muñoz removing a gold crucifix necklace from the man's neck and placing it in his medical bag without documenting or returning the item, prosecutors said.

During a subsequent search of Muñoz's desk at his workplace, investigators recovered rare antique coins along with a receipt in the name of another man whose death Muñoz had investigated in November 2022, prosecutors said.

"There is something especially appalling about stealing from the dead. During a time when dignity and respect should be absolute, Mr. Muñoz chose greed," District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. His "plea is a step toward justice, but it cannot undo the additional trauma inflicted on families who were already dealing with loss."

City News Service contributed to this report.