A Metro police officer who pleaded guilty to child pornography charges earlier this year has died at the age of 25, one day before he was supposed to answer for his crimes.
Investigators said Officer Ruben Delgadillo was using software to share one of the largest stashes of child pornography in Nevada. He was 24 years old when he was arrested last Aug. and faced the up to 45 years in prison. Officers said Delgadillo told them he knew he had a problem and felt guilty comparing himself to sex offenders arrested in child molestation cases.
Delgadillo was found dead in his bedroom on July 24, the day before his sentencing. Law enforcement sources close to FOX5 said he committed suicide by asphyxiation. The Clark County Coroner’s Office said it is still running tests.
This man knew his life as he knew it was over. He may have been able to live with himself if he had “just” killed a man, but to be caught with child porn, he knew he would be looked at as if he were Jeffery Dahmer himself. The man even compared himself to someone who physically molested a child, which in itself is wrong if he did no such thing. The whole concept of having illegal pictures is like having actually harmed said individual is like saying I personally killed someone in Iraq if I were to watch military footage. Regardless, the man was wrong, but its sad to see that he felt death was his only option.
Another life ended through being shamed. I am sure child pornography has the highest rate of suicide of any crime. Suicide is directly related to the feeling of life lost and hopelessness. Most, not all, convicted of this have undisclosed abuse issues in their childhood. I know, because I have been thrown into this pit of shame and despair.
“I remember seeing his face on TV. Wow. That’s crazy,” he said. “I wish people would reach out for help and be strong. That’s being strong, reaching out for help … I just feel bad for his family left behind now having to deal with this.”
Funny you said that, officer. I don’t know how things are in Nevada, but here in California two years ago they made disclosure of viewing CSAI (Child Sex Abuse Images) mandatory reporting. So you can’t actually seek help without lying about it. That is if you can bring yourself to admit you even have a problem. America should look to Germany and how they handle such things.
45 years for looking at photos that are available to every home with an internet connection. A gang member could shoot into a birthday party for a drug deal retaliation and not get close to that much time. I find it astonishing that the government can hack in and disable a nuclear reactor protected with an air wall, but yet these CP sites remain at the same address for years without disruption. Why is there not a single bit of consumer protection for this stuff? Every thing in the US from toys to candy to appliances has consumer protection, but not the internet. Porn is well known to be addicting. Most of these men are good citizens, good fathers, good employees, but get caught up in the vicious porn cycle and then their life is destroyed by an ignorant, heartless, justice system. RIP young man.
1. Delgadillo likely got the software or information about the software from LE sources.
2. This is sad to say, however, he did the right thing.
3. If, there was pre-treatment vehicles in place to help those whom are caught up in sex offenses it would be the best for victims and the registry would be non-existing.
I honestly feel he is better off, as is his family. Why go through the daily suffering for the rest of your life. His family would suffer, too. Just read all the articles of society abandoning us for the most minor of offenses because of a label. The talk that goes on behind your back. The betrayal by so called friends that will toss you aside rather than stand up for you. We are pack animals, and like any other pack species, without a pack to call home, we die. So he is at peace and his family can bury him. He will be buried an innocent man.
I just wonder how much of this he actually got from the “evidence locker” or from other LE sources, not the software, but the actual material. Call this conspiracy but did he take with him secrets of the LVPD, et al on this type of stuff to protect others? Heard of worse things.
this is sad on many levels , more than I have energy for after reading this , what it comes down to is that he was just a person with faults , its to bad that prison / shaming of this person is the only answer to handling the problem , only to create a cycle that’s not going to end even with his death , the cycle will continue , the only thing that changes is that he is dead leaving a family behind full of sadness , I understand why he killed him self , at one time years ago I felt like doing the same thing to save my wife and children the same shame I felt by dragging my baggage , but with coping skills as well as faith , I began to think it would be soon that the registry would be gone , and if not so be it , my family loves me just like they did years ago , and I am glad to still be kickin , but I feel it every time I here of someone killing them selfs because of the prisons and shaming , unable to see a way out , all the guilt/ sin/ blame , its to bad that many die like this are unable to see that the guilt/ sin/ blame will not be judged by other sinners , at least not with the authority to do so , taking simple responsibility is all that’s needed to be “spiritual” this man that died owes me nothing and harmed me in know way , so its easy to wish him good luck in his travel