ABC7 News in San Francisco is reporting the coroner has concluded longtime San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi died from a mixture of cocaine and alcohol. Heart disease was also a factor in his death.
Adachi worked in the public defender’s office for 33 years and became public defender in 2002. He was one of the few public defenders in the country to be elected. He’s also known as a documentary producer. Among his many films were You Don’t Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story (2009) and The Slanted Screen, a film narrated by Daniel Dae Kim about the stereotyping of Asian Americans in Hollywood.
Details from the coroner’s report are just emerging. The investigation into Adachi’s death about a month ago came under scrutiny when information emerged that the person overseeing the death investigation had been under investigation himself by Adachi. Christopher Wiroweck, the Director of Operations at the Medical Examiner’s office, had been under investigation for lying about his office’s accreditation with the National Association of Medical Examiners which was lost a year earlier.
“Out of respect for the family, our office is not going to comment on what we believe is a private medical matter,” said Katy St. Clair, a spokeswoman for the public defender to the San Francisco Chronicle.
In the report, Assistant Medical Examiner Ellen Moffatt wrote:
“The cause of death is acute mixed drug toxicity with cocaine and ethanol, with hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as a contributing factor. Based on the history, autopsy, microscopic and toxicology finding, the manner of death is accident.”
Just in: medical examiner’s report on Jeff Adachi. Cause of death: cocaine, alcohol and preexisting heart problems. Death ruled an accident.
— Dominic Fracassa (@DominicFracassa) March 22, 2019
From the report: pic.twitter.com/4yZlBMxjwf
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Adachi has been remembered fondly by many.
“I first met Jeff not as a public defender, but as a fellow juror of the
1995 Miss GAPA Runway pageant, the San Francisco-based Gay Asian Pacific Association’s annual drag show benefit,” said documentary filmmaker and author Arthur Dong. “It was refreshing to be kidding
around alongside a handsome, straight Asian American man who blended
easily into what was a flambouyant spectacle. Actress Tamblyn Tomita was a co-juror so you can imagine what a hoot it was all for the advancement
of equality, of course,” Dong told AsAmNews.
Just three days ago, it was reported the city is considering naming a street after Adachi. The San Francisco Examiner reported Supervisor Matt Haney planned to introduce a resolution calling for the honor this coming Tuesday. The street would be named Jeff Adachi Way.
Adachi is known as a tireless defender of the poor and disenfranchised.
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Updated: Coroner Concludes SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi died from Cocaine and Alcohol: Is it possible for this report to be compromised because of the relationship between the coroner and Adachi? To smear his name and reputation would not be a surprise especially with the police department hating on him. Just wondering.