The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau released its report in the investigation of the death of 41-year-old Kayla Moore Friday afternoon. The coroner’s report lists the cause of death as an “acute combined drug intoxication.”

Toxic amounts of methamphetamine and codeine were found in Moore’s blood, according to the report. It also noted that an enlarged heart and morbid obesity were contributing factors to her death.

In addition to the coroner’s office report, Berkeley Police Department released the findings of its own investigation into Moore’s death Friday afternoon. The report also concluded that the death was accidental.

In recent weeks, the department has faced criticism from community members as well as Moore’s family, who claimed that BPD had not been forthcoming with its investigation.

A press hold had been put on the coroner’s report since the beginning of the investigation, and groups like Berkeley Copwatch demanded that the hold be lifted and the report released. Demonstrations were held at a City Council meeting, and protesters marched to BPD headquarters calling for more transparency from the department.

“We understand there was a need to get information quicker, and there was a desire on our part that we provide all the information we could to the community,” said BPD spokesperson Jennifer Coats. “But at the same time, we wanted to make sure we did a proper and thorough investigation for Moore but also for Moore’s family, the community and the officers involved.”

The report goes into detail about what occurred on the night of Feb. 12 and includes witness statements and interviews with the responding officers. The report also includes a written statement by John Hayes, who lived with Moore at the Gaia Building apartment complex and was the one who called the police.

According to Hayes, Moore used drugs on a regular basis, including crack and methamphetamines. On the night of the incident, Hayes said Moore was drunk and high on methamphetamines, causing her to act belligerent.

“(Kayla) asked me for money to get more speed and alcohol, and I told him to go ask someone else and leave me alone,” Hayes said in the statement. “(Kayla) got really angry and wouldn’t leave me alone, we began and arguing and … (she) told me to just get out.”

Hayes left the apartment and called the police afterward, fearing Moore would attack him and saying that she had a history of aggression. He cited an incident in which Moore stabbed someone in San Francisco.

According to Coats, police were originally called in to take Moore, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, to a mental health evaluation at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. Officers discovered Moore had an arrest warrant out for an earlier incident in San Francisco and proceeded to arrest her instead. Moore got into an altercation with the officers and was eventually restrained to a gurney.

“(She) became increasingly agitated and uncooperative to the officer’s verbal commands and began to scream and violently resist,” according to a statement from BPD. “After struggling with officers, they were able to gain control of the subject and place (her) in restraints.”

Officers soon discovered Moore had stopped breathing, and they performed CPR. Moore was rushed to the medical center, where she was pronounced dead.

Staff writer Sophie Ho contributed to this report. 

“Andy Nguyen is the lead crime reporter. Contact him at anguyen@dailycal.org
and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Truc.
“

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According to the report, released Friday afternoon, the manner of death was accidental. The report also listed morbid obesity and cardiomegaly, or enlarged heart, as significant conditions in the investigation.

BPD’s own internal investigation was also released Friday afternoon, also finding that Moore’s death was accidental.

On Feb. 13, BPD officers responded to a disturbance call on the 2000 block of Allston Way and were directed to Moore’s apartment. Moore, who originally identified as Xavier Christopher Moore, became unresponsive while officers attempted to restrain her to a gurney. She was then transported to the Alta Bates Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Moore’s death triggered substantial community response, including demonstrations at a City Council meeting and various protests, due to a perceived lack of transparency with regard to the investigation.

More updates to follow.

Contact Sophie Ho at newsdesk@dailycal.org.

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Organized by Kayla’s family, the celebration will be held at the Gaia Building apartment complex at 5 p.m. on what would have been her 42nd birthday.

Moore, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, died in police custody on the night of Feb. 12 after officers were called to her apartment to respond to a call about a disturbance.

Following the event, Berkeley Copwatch has organized a march to the Berkeley Police Station to call on the department to release information about their investigation into Moore’s death.

“Our first objective is to honor Kayla Moore and the grief that her family has endured as a result of her murder,” said Copwatch member Andrea Prichett. “Then we’re going to the police station, asking them to release the hold that they have placed on the coroner’s report … we’re asking BPD to correct that situation and let the public and the family have access to the report.”

There is currently a “press hold” placed on the release of the autopsy report by the BPD as the investigation is still ongoing. The coroner’s office is also still currently conducting their own investigation at this time, said Deputy Damon Wilson from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau.

Maria Moore, Kayla’s sister, says the department mishandled the incident and that the officers lacked the necessary training to handle suspects with mental illnesses.

“(The incident) was handled horribly,” Maria said. “One of the neighbors said that (Kayla) was quiet and didn’t know why the police was called. The situation only escalated when the police came.”

According to Maria, the department has not been forthright with information about the investigation to the family, saying they had to reach out to BPD in order for someone to respond.

“We had to call them several times just to get a phone call back,” Maria said. “We may have to get a lawyer involved because they’re not producing any information.”

Maria also criticized the rate at which the investigation is being handled, saying that it has been two months without any word from the department. In an email, Officer Jennifer Coats, spokesperson for BPD, said that the investigation is going at its current rate because officers want it to be as thorough as possible.

The investigation involves detailed interviews with witnesses as well as a collection and analysis of all evidence, according to Coats.

“We understand the community’s concern over this incident and their desire to have as much information as possible,” Coats stated in the email. “This can take some time and we are committed to conducting a thorough investigation into this matter.”

Andy Nguyen is the lead crime reporter. Contact him at anguyen@dailycal.org
and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Truc.

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Despite coming from a difficult background, Johnson soared above challenges and devoted himself to learning. He had a range of talents, with interests including video games and Japanese culture. He loved to act, play guitar, dance and write poetry.

“He was special talent — a really brilliant young man, especially in the humanities,” said former high school teacher Terry Henderson, who added that Johnson was not just a student but a friend. “When we were together in class, it was teacher-to-student. But when you’re talking about literature and ideas, you become equals.”

Johnson emancipated himself when he was a junior at University Senior High School in Los Angeles and, as a foster care youth, lived with faculty members he had grown close to before moving to Berkeley. After overcoming family issues and personal struggles, he graduated at the top of his class and spoke at his high school graduation.

On Thanksgiving morning, Johnson could not be woken up by his roommate and housemates, who then alerted authorities. The Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau said it is waiting for toxicology results from the labs before announcing the cause of death, a process that could take two months.

He hoped to become an English teacher and was always reading, Henderson said.

Another of his passions was Japanese art and music. Johnson shared his passion by preparing Japanese food for housemates at his co-op, Stebbins Hall.

Johnson is remembered most fondly for his act in a talent show last month, where he lip-synced and danced to one of his favorite Japanese songs, shedding his shyness for the night.

“You could see the music video playing on the computer screen in the corner, and he had the dance routine down perfectly,” said Torey Kocsik, Stebbins’ house manager and a UC Berkeley senior. “He was grinning the entire time.”

Fellow housemate and UC Berkeley junior Rigoberto Chavez, who remembered the routine as his favorite memory of his close friend, said Johnson’s “reassuring smile” was infectious.

“Independent of whatever personal problems he was encountering, he never projected any negative emotions and always maintained his composure — something I truly admire,” Chavez said.

Berkeley Student Cooperative President and UC Berkeley senior Brenna Fallon said members of Stebbins will determine the most appropriate way to remember Johnson and notify the co-op community if there is a memorial service.

“Johnson was one of the most genuinely sweet people I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know,” Kocsik said. “I got to watch him break out of his shell and become a part of our family.”

Contact Virgie Hoban at vhoban@dailycal.org.

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Local media outlets identified 67-year-old UC Berkeley alumnus and former longtime Berkeley resident Michael Thorn Bradley as the victim that was found.

Oakland police officers discovered the body after “responding to check the well-being of a neighbor,” according to Oakland Police Department spokesperson Johnna Watson.

No suspects have been identified, but Watson said in an email that the department’s major crime homicide section investigators had responded to the scene to conduct a preliminary investigation.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau has declined to release any information when contacted and said that interviews regarding Bradley’s death are currently on a “police hold.”

Bradley, who was originally from New York, graduated from UC Berkeley in 1974, obtaining a master of fine arts degree. He had also received his bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley.

After receiving his degrees, Bradley set up exhibitions of his artwork throughout the country and also published books on poetry, according to his website.

Bradley received awards for his artwork and books, including the KQED Artist’s Award and the Bookbuilder’s West Award which he received in San Francisco, according to his website. He also received the William Andrews Clark Western Books Award and the Regional Design Annual Award, both of which he received in New York City.

Some of Bradley’s pieces of artwork, according to artprice.com, are “Aguas calientes” and “Coral sand twilight,” two water paintings he sold at San Francisco art auction house Bonhams, in 2010.

Besides artwork, Bradley was also a fan of music. One band he was a loyal fan to was Ancient Future, a world music band located in Kentfield, Calif. According to band leader Matthew Montfort, who met Bradley 30 years ago at one of the band’s shows Bradley attended, Bradley was an incredible and kind artist.

“I appreciated his energy,” Montfort said. “He died way too soon. (His death) will be a loss to the local arts community.”

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According to UCPD Lt. Eric Tejada, police responded to a call at 2 a.m. from a passerby who reported suspicious behavior. Officers found Andrew J. Maxwell with a gunshot wound to the head at the vista point of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He was taken to Highland General Hospital in Oakland.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau confirmed that Maxwell died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 3:08 a.m. that Friday at the hospital.

Tejada said Maxwell left a note which led police to determine that it was a suicide.

Maxwell graduated this semester with a master’s degree in public health from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. He also graduated and earned a bachelor’s degree in integrative biology in 2009.

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Xavier Chevez had been on life support with minor brain function since the accident, in which the car he and his mother were passengers in hit a tree near a traffic circle on California Street in Downtown Berkeley. The car was being driven by Lopez’s boyfriend and UC Berkeley graduate student Jose Lumbreras, 33, whose blood alcohol level at the time was more than twice the legal limit, according to Alameda County court documents.

Lopez was found dead at the scene, while Lumbreras and Xavier were both rushed to medical centers with serious injuries. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau confirmed Monday that Xavier died around 6:30 p.m. Friday at Children’s Hospital Oakland.

Xavier and his mother lived in student housing at University Village in Albany since Lopez began studying at UC Berkeley in 2007. Xavier walked with his mother at her commencement ceremony earlier in the month. Lopez planned to begin a master’s program for teaching at UCLA in the fall.

“Milanca and Xavier were remarkable people who against all odds were moving on to an exciting season at UCLA graduate school,” said UC Berkeley alumna Lily Pineda, in a Facebook post on the memorial page created after Milanca’s death.

Lumbreras has been charged with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and drunken driving causing injury by the Alameda County district attorney.

“Xavier believed that there shouldn’t be any borders among people,” said Xavier’s father Javier Chevez, in a post on gofundme.com, where family members have set up a donation fund for Xavier’s family. “(He believed) that we should all love each other no matter what. He has left a big impact on the Berkeley community.”

Adelyn Baxter is the news editor.

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At around 9:48 p.m. on Tuesday, officers responded to the Unit 2 residence hall after receiving reports that a student — who has been identified as sophomore Henry Treadway — fell from a window of Towle Hall, according to UCPD Lt. Eric Tejada.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau identified the student as Henry Treadway, 20, on Wednesday afternoon. According to the county coroner’s bureau, Treadway died of multiple blunt force injuries at 9:56 p.m.

Paramedics and police responded to the scene, at which UCPD officers roped off the area in front of the residence hall with caution tape while distraught residents gathered in the courtyard.

“Our initial investigation is that it was a suicide,” Tejada said.

There are no press conferences currently planned by UCPD or the Residential and Student Service Programs on campus, according to Tejada.

Reports first began circulating that Treadway was the victim after a status reading “RIP HENRY TREADWAY 11/18/91 — 5/8/12,” supposedly posted by him before the incident, surfaced on his Facebook page Tuesday night.

Treadway was a 2010 graduate of El Cerrito High School.

Within hours of the incident, students had created a memorial event page  for Treadway on Facebook. Friends, family and even apparent strangers continued to offer condolences on the Facebook event’s wall and via Twitter throughout the day Wednesday.

As of 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Unit 2 courtyard was nearly empty but for candles and flowers that students had left as a makeshift memorial in front of Towle Hall.

Mihir Deo, a sophomore and incoming Student Action senator, took a statistics class with Treadway this semester and said they always joked together and talked about sports.

“I actually saw him two days ago; it wasn’t for too long but kind of in passing — we both had a stats final on Monday,” Deo said. “We studied a couple times, and I got to know him.”

Deo was also present in the Unit 2 courtyard Tuesday night when it was suspected that someone had jumped off Towle Hall.

“I came of my own accord to (Towle Hall), because I have a fair amount of friends in that hall,” he said. “I had this weird feeling it was (Treadway). I don’t know what led to this, but it kind of clicked. It’s hard to process.”

A candlelight vigil in Treadway’s memory has been scheduled for 10 p.m. at Sproul Plaza this Friday. The event currently has more than 3,000 people attending on Facebook.

Assistant news editor Anjuli Sastry contributed to this report.

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According to UCPD Lt. Marc DeCoulode, police discovered the 31-year-old UC Berkeley graduate student — who the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau identified as Vadim Karagodsky — dead in his room at the 2100 Channing Way apartment complex shortly after 11 p.m. Friday.

“Preliminarily, it does not appear that there was any foul play involved,” DeCoulode said. “It appears to be natural causes but we’re waiting to hear back from the coroner for final determination on that.”

DeCoulode added that there was no sign of forced entry into the housing unit.

The discovery was made after the Karagodsky’s brother called police to perform a welfare check because he had not been able to get a hold of him for a couple of days, according to DeCoulode. Police entered the apartment with the help of housing officials and found Karagodsky’s body at 11:19 p.m.

Police entered the apartment Friday after unsuccessfully trying to locate Karagodsky at a coffee shop he was known to frequent as well as a spot in Cory Hall he was known to study at. The department also sent him an email to which there was no response, according to DeCoulode.

According to the campus’s website, Karagodsky was a graduate student in the electrical engineering and computer science department. He had bachelor’s and master’s degrees from an Israeli university, the website said.

According to the county coroner’s bureau, the cause of death has not yet been determined but officials said an autopsy should be done on his body either Tuesday or Wednesday.

Manville Apartments are studio apartments owned by the campus that are reserved for graduate and law students, according to the campus Residential and Student Services Program website.

Sarah Burns is the lead crime reporter.

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Oakland Police Department officers responded to the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center on Hawthorne Avenue at 4:05 a.m. Saturday to investigate a patient death, the Bay City News reported. A preliminary investigation showed that the patient had been given a lethal dose of non-prescribed medication.

The incident occurred after Alta Bates administrators barred their nurse employees from returning to work Friday after a strike Thursday by 23,000 nurses from the California Nurses Association at Sutter Health affiliate hospitals and Kaiser Permanente hospitals.

The name of the patient, who had been receiving treatment at the hospital since July, is currently withheld while the police department’s major crimes division and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau investigates further, according to the Bay City News.

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