Paul Bynum was a retired Hermosa Beach police lieutenant turned private investigator whose work on the McMartin Pre-School case included finding animal bones and turtle shells buried at the school site; he was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Glendale home on December 11, 1987, hours before he was scheduled to testify before the jury. He was 39.
Who Paul Bynum Was
Bynum served as a sergeant and later a lieutenant with the Hermosa Beach Police Department, where he headed the detective bureau.1UPI. McMartin Witness Commits Suicide He retired from the department on a medical pension and moved into private investigation work. His widow, Vicki, was an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department.2Los Angeles Times. McMartin Pre-School Case Witness Found Dead
Before McMartin, Bynum had a role in the 1979 investigation of Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris, the serial killers known as the Tool Box Killers. He filed the affidavit that supported the arrest warrant for Bittaker, directed Burbank police to carry out the arrest, and helped search Bittaker’s van, which held photographs of victims and a tape recording of one victim’s torture.3Stanford – Supreme Court of California. People v. Bittaker
His Work on the McMartin Case
Early in the McMartin investigation, Bynum worked as an investigator for the defense.2Los Angeles Times. McMartin Pre-School Case Witness Found Dead During that work he discovered dead turtle shells and animal bones buried at the Virginia McMartin Pre-School site. The find mattered because prosecutors alleged that the defendants had slaughtered animals in front of children to frighten them into silence.4Los Angeles Times. McMartin Witness Found Dead of Gunshot Wound
Bynum’s discovery sat alongside a separate dig. In March 1985, parents of alleged victims used a backhoe on a vacant lot next to the school and unearthed more animal bones, turtle shells, a pipe, and a plastic toy shovel. Defense attorneys said the lot had been a neighborhood pet cemetery.5UPI. Animal Bones and Turtle Shells Unearthed in a Vacant Lot
By December 1987 Bynum was no longer working for the defense. He was employed as an investigator for the California State Bar and had been called by prosecutors to testify about the physical evidence he had found years earlier.4Los Angeles Times. McMartin Witness Found Dead of Gunshot Wound
His Death on the Eve of Jury Testimony
On December 9, 1987, Bynum testified at a hearing held outside the presence of the jury so the court could decide whether his account of the animal remains would be admissible. He was scheduled to take the stand before jurors the next day.2Los Angeles Times. McMartin Pre-School Case Witness Found Dead
He never did. Around 6 a.m. on December 11, 1987, Bynum was found dead at his home in Glendale with a bullet wound to his head. Authorities described the death as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.1UPI. McMartin Witness Commits Suicide
Superior Court Judge William Pounders told jurors the death was “not due to any criminal cause” and said Bynum’s testimony would be presented through other evidence. District attorney spokesman Al Albergate said there was “no evidence that the suicide was because of the McMartin case.” Chief prosecutor Lael Rubin declined to comment on any connection between the death and the trial.4Los Angeles Times. McMartin Witness Found Dead of Gunshot Wound
A Second Death Tied to the Case
Bynum was the second person closely associated with the McMartin case to die before a verdict. Judy Johnson, the mother whose accusation against Ray Buckey launched the entire investigation, had been found dead at her Manhattan Beach home roughly a year earlier, in December 1986. The coroner attributed her death to a liver condition commonly associated with alcoholism.6UPI. Witness in McMartin Case Died of Liver Disease Johnson had a documented history of mental health problems, including a 1985 hospitalization following a psychotic episode, and prosecutors were later found to have withheld information about her credibility from the defense.7Los Angeles Times. McMartin Pre-School Case Accuser Found Dead
The two deaths fueled speculation among some observers of the case. No official investigation linked either to foul play.