A Paradise-area man set to stand trial for child sex-abuse charges killed himself before jury selection on Monday.
The Press Democrat reports Mendocino County district attorney’s office spokesman Mike Geniella says 51-year-old Aaron Douglas Burrows, who was facing a felony charge of criminal sexual penetration of a 9-year-old, killed himself Monday.
Geniella says Burrows failed to show up in court Monday morning for the start of jury selection. Butte County law enforcement found Burrows and determined he took his own life sometime Sunday night or early Monday.
Geniella says Burrows was charged with the crime for an incident that was reported following a camping trip to Fort Bragg, and a subsequent investigation uncovered a prior alleged victim of Burrows who was going to testify at the trial.