A prominent California defense lawyer was vacationing at a luxury resort in Mexico for his first wedding anniversary. He was discovered dead after a night of celebrating.
Elliot Blair, 33, was an associate public defender in Orange County. He died on Saturday, January 14 in Rosarito Beach, on the Baja Peninsula, south of Tijuana, Mexico.
The man and his wife, Kim Williams, were staying at the Las Rocas Resort and Spa in Rosarito, a seaside community in Baja. On January 14, hours after the couple had left for dinner and dancing, he was found dead after a fall from a balcony. It was the day before their anniversary.
Mexican authorities say the lawyer plunged from the balcony of the Las Rocas Hotel while he was drunk.
However, according to a GoFundMe page put up by friends of the family, Blair’s death was not an accident, and they suspect that he may have been murdered.
Authorities in Mexico have only released a limited amount of information and are investigating the incident.
Blair was found with a gash on his head that could have preceded the fall.
John Jenks, a colleague of Blair, is a forensic addiction counselor and private investigator. He worked on several cases and trials with Blair and said that when he found out about his death, it hit him like a gut punch. Jenks added that Blair understood the law, he was well prepared, his trial presentations were amazing, and he was down-to-earth and personable.
Blair’s attorney, David Scarsone told the Orange County Register that there are “many unanswered questions” causing them to look deeper into the incident and question the story given by Mexican authorities.
