A very unusual incident occurred in Denton County, Texas last month, in a world where nothing should surprise anyone anymore.

Edward Peter Leclair, 57, was in court awaiting his verdict for the charges of five counts of sexual assault against a single underage victim. 

Upon hearing the judge read the guilty verdict, the man drank from a bottle that he had nearby. 

“He chugged it,” prosecutor Jamie Beck told local news station WFAA. “It wasn’t like he was just taking sips of water. He was literally throwing it back, so to speak.”

When the guilty man’s hand started to shake, spectators assumed it was in response to the verdict. 

However, after the proceedings ended, the man was taken to a jail cell, and he started to vomit, and was found unresponsive.

Paramedics were called and the prisoner was taken to a hospital. 

He was pronounced dead shortly afterward in the afternoon.

Leclair had pled non-guilty to the charges, but the odds were not in his favor. 

Leclair’s crime took place in July of 2016. A girl had put a post on Craigslist, to which Leclair responded. He met with the girl, drove her to a hotel and had sex with her. He paid her $200. After their first encounter, the girl revealed that she was only 14-years-old. In spite of that revelation, the man continued to contact her and they met three more times. 

Everything started to unravel after Leclair’s girlfriend found out about the relationship. He was arrested in 2018. His girlfriend was also arrested for a felony, because she was aware of the crimes and didn’t report them, although charges against her were dropped. 

It was an unusual situation, not only for the jurors but also for the defense, the prosecution and the judge. None of them had ever seen anything like this occur in the courtroom before.