Ed Buck was a wealthy self-proclaimed LGBTQ advocate and major donor to Democrat Party candidates and causes. Unbeknownst to those members of the powerful and influential circles with whom he regularly mingled, Buck was a dangerous and degenerate sexual deviant who preyed upon the most vulnerable in our society.

Born Edward Bernard Peter Buckmelter on August 24, 1954, to an affluent family in Steubenville, Ohio, young Eddie enjoyed a pleasant if not sheltered childhood. There seemed to be no indicators during Eddie’s childhood that might have led others to predict that one day he would become a criminal sexual predator. Shortly after his 16^th Birthday in 1970, Eddie boldly announced to his stunned, conservative parents, “…I am a homosexual.”

This came at a time when the American Psychiatric Association (APA) still maintained that homosexuality was a “mental disorder.” Further, within American society of that era, gay people were viewed unfavorably by the vast majority of the public. It was a daring proclamation for a teenaged boy to make at that time. After finishing high school, Eddie moved to Arizona where he attended and graduated from Phoenix College.  A few years later, he purchased his friend’s courier service business out of bankruptcy with the assistance of his wealthy parents. He made a major success of the operation and sold the concern at an enormous profit. By this time, Eddie had changed his last name to “Buck.”

In November of 1986, Eddie became incensed when the populist conversative Republican, Evan Mecham was elected Governor of Arizona. In response to “those stupid voters” who chose Mecham, Eddie organized a committee to recall the Governor Elect. This action raised young Eddie’s profile on the political stage for the first time. Eddie was collecting signatures for the recall effort even before Mecham’s inauguration. The liberal Phoenix media fawned over Eddie, the “young gay man,” who was working to recall Evan Mecham. Eddie became a cause célèbres to Arizona liberals.

Yet not all of the media attention was favorable to Eddie. There were still some old-fashioned reporters who believed in doing their research. These types of journalists wanted to know a little more about Eddie and his background. They were unwilling to settle for a superficial interview to get a memorable soundbite or juicy quote.

Hence, when Eddie thrust himself into the eye of the media storm surrounding Evan Mecham, he naively failed to consider that certain embarrassing details about his own past conduct might be made public. Thus Eddie, who had become accustomed to adulation and puff from the press, was shocked one morning when he opened his newspaper to find stories about his recent legal problems.

Eddie it appeared, had been arrested for “public sexual indecency” in 1983. Yes, Eddie enjoyed having sex with men in public places. In a separate incident, he was indicted for “attempting to obtain a narcotic through fraud or deceit” when he tried to pass a fake prescription for Percocet. Eddie was also a prolific drug user. It soon became obvious to Arizonians that this guy was not all he or his media admirers claimed he was. While his crimes were not as serious as those which would later send him to prison, it was evident to most that Eddie was a person with serious character flaws. A couple of years later, Eddie would pull up his proverbial tent pegs and seek a more politically suitable climate. Sometime in 1988, Eddie quietly relocated to West Hollywood, California.

When West Hollywood or “WeHo” as the locals call it, was incorporated as a city in 1984. It was then known as the first “majority-gay municipality in the United States. It was no accident that Eddie decided to move there. The culture and political environment was far more favorable to him than that of Arizona in the 1980s. Eddie, who was already financially well off took on the persona of a LGBTQ advocate and made fast friends among the affluent WeHo gay community. Eddie also wasted no time in ingratiating himself to the California Democratic party and Democratic elected officials through his generous donations.

Eddie settled into a fashionable apartment on WeHo’s North Laurel Avenue. It was a quiet little place. Yet, Eddie didn’t exhibit the same bubbly social personality to his new neighbors, that he was known for when mixing with gay community leaders and Democratic Party officials. It was as if he did not want his new neighbors to know too much about him.  

Eddie’s new neighbors in his apartment building eventually took notice of the heavy foot traffic moving in and out of his apartment late at night and during the wee hours of the morning. Some of these neighbors became concerned with the type of people coming and going out of Eddie’s place at those strange times. Many of Eddie’s “guests” looked a little, “rough around the edges,” according to one neighbor. The consensus among Eddie’s fellow building residents appeared to be that these frightening looking men posed a potential threat to their safety.

Although Ed Buck was well known by the WeHo elites and Democratic Party power brokers, the neighbors in his Laurel avenue apartment building knew little if anything about him. When a couple of Eddie’s neighbors mustered the pluck to ask him directly about the alarming late-night visits from his unkempt plebeian friends, Eddie offered an unflinchingly calm explanation with an apology.

“I’m so sorry. I’m a social worker,” Eddie lied then continued along in the following vein, “These are men in real need of my help as they’re struggling with an assortment of serious issues. They’re all really good men and quite harmless.”

A bold-faced lie, yes. However, Eddie undoubtedly found his use of deceit preferable to telling the truth, which might have sounded something like this, “Gee, I’m really sorry folks. The various drug dealers I use prefer to make their deliveries late at night.  Also, I insist that the numerous vulnerable men of color whom I sexually exploit after getting them hooked on methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs, also show up in the wee hours after the illegal narcotics have arrived. Logistically speaking, it just works out so much better that way!”

As implausible as it may seem, Eddie’s neighbors bought the line about his being a “social worker.”  Initially, there were no outward signs of Buck’s debauched character which would have given his neighbors cause for concern.  After all, Buck seemed urbane, gentlemanly, and erudite. He dressed conservatively and was immaculately groomed- at least in public.

In his new fashionable WeHo life, he was a noted LGBTQ activist and a deep pocketed donor to liberal candidates and causes. Eddie had arrived. There would be no more puerile frauds to score drugs with a forged prescription or uncouth forays into cottaging (anonymous gay sex in public places). Eddie had learned from his youthful morasses with the police in Arizona.

 Yet behind the closed doors and drawn curtains of apartment number 4 at 1234 North Laurel Avenue, Eddie had created his own erotic pleasure-dome. The swanky pad was attractively furnished and supplied with several plush abutted mattresses on the living room floor for late night fun.  A large chest adorned a corner of the living room- Eddie’s little box of fun. Its contents included various sex toys, syringes, pipes, lighters, and plastic zip lock bags containing copious amounts different illicit drugs. The later provided by Eddie’s dealers who would discretely and courteously deliver his dope with the decorum of a luxury hotel concierge.

Eddie would spend hours online, perusing the various gay hook-up sites in search suitable sex partners. Eddie was finicky and would not compromise when picking his late-night guests. He had standards, don’t you know?

Eddie’s ideal playfellow had to be a fit and well-endowed black man who was experiencing problems in life which made him vulnerable. These vulnerable down-on their-luck men were usually homeless, unemployed, or going through other challenges. Eddie wanted men that he could exploit.

Eddie was known to offer certain inducements to otherwise reluctant sexual recruits. These included promises of drugs and at times, even cash and other gifts. Eddie was an old man after all and not particularly pleasing to eye. There was no reason for fit, attractive young men to share his company absent some kind of inducement.  In this, Eddie crossed the line into illegality.

Soon, Eddie’s late-night sexual partners started arriving at his doorstep- one after the other. Punctually so, the same way his drug dealers did. At some point, more than one of Eddie’s partners became hooked on the types of drugs he was supplying and at times, injecting them with. Once his sexual partners became hooked, Buck must have soon realized that these men would do just about anything to get their next fix. This is where Eddie overstepped into outright exploitation, if not enslavement. It would be this perverse and licentious urge to sexually exploit others with the aid of drugs, which would later cause his downfall. Eddie enslaved his victims using the same techniques employed by human traffickers.

Enter 26-year-old Gemmel Moore, a gay black man with the looks and physique of a male model. In school, girls swooned over Gemmel. He was an accomplished ballroom dancer with a ready smile and a mentor to his four younger siblings. Before meeting Ed Buck, he was an occasional, recreational user of soft drugs. All of that changed after he met Eddie Buck.

At first, Eddie showered young Gemmel with money and gifts. He functioned as a faux mentor to the young attractive man who was naïve to the ways of society’s dark underbelly. He had never used methamphetamine before meeting Ed Buck. Not long after Eddie had gotten Gemmel addicted to Meth, Gemmel made the following entry in his diary:

“I have become addicted to drugs and the worst one at that…Ed Buck is the one to thank. He gave me my first injection.”

Once Gemmel was addicted, the relationship changed drastically. No longer was Eddie treating Gemmel in the fatherly, caring way as he had before. Now, Eddie the predatory master, gave only commands to his new slave. Gemmal, the handsome young man, with an infectious and engaging personality was transformed into a mere sex toy for Eddie’s depraved sexual perversions.

On July 27, 2017, Ed Buck injected Gemmel Moore with what would become a fatal overdose of methamphetamine. Abruptly, the friendly, radiant, kind young man, Gemmel Moore passed into the hereafter.  Eddie called 9-1-1 but by the time law enforcement and the paramedics arrived, there was nothing that they could do for Gemmel aside from for placing his fresh corpse into a body bag.

The police gave Eddie’s apartment a cursory look through. They found drug paraphernalia and drug residue. It had to have been apparent to them that Eddie Buck himself was as high as a kite. Yet they took no action. No telephonic warrant requested to search the premises. No push for the significant details of what occurred. No arrest of Buck. Just another dead junkie, the police must have thought. The police officers summarily ruled that the tragic death of Gemmel was nothing more than an “accidental overdose.”  In the media news cycle, Gemmel was reduced to a caricature as he was frequently referred to as a “young black drug addict.”

After a couple of days of media coverage, the story surrounding the heartbreaking death Gemmel Moore, faded into the obscurity. Sorry folks, the show’s over. Nothing more to see here. The media and citizens of the greater Los Angeles area had seemed to have forgotten all about Gemmel Moore, the “young black drug addict.” That all changed shortly thereafter, when Gemmel’s family uncovered his diary.

Gemmel’s diary laid out in vivid detail, how Eddie got him addicted to Meth and enslaved him. Upon discovering the troubling entries in Gemmel’s diary concerning the nature of his relationship with Eddie, his family began seeking the assistance of community leaders and elected officials for an investigation into the matter.. The authorities however, considered the issue closed and apart from a modicum of superficial lip service from them, nothing further was done.

About 18 months later, Eddie was exploiting another man. His name was Timothy Dean. Dean also a gay black man, was described by his numerous friends, family and colleagues as a “kind, generous, and well-liked person.” He had a naturally warm personality and was active in his community. He was passionate about “social causes.”

Timothy Dean was seen visiting Eddie’s WeHo apartment numerous times. On January 7, 2019, Eddie injected Dean with a large amount of Methamphetamine which cased Dean to die. For the second time in the past 18 months, the dead body of a gay black man was carted out of Eddie’s little house of horrors by the coroner. Again, the authorities failed to obtain a search warrant after arriving or for that matter or even charge Eddie with possession of illegal narcotics. Timothy Dean’s death like that of Gemmel Moore, was ruled an “accidental methamphetamine overdose.” Really?

The sad death of Timothy Dean caused no shortage of rage within the gay and black communities where he was known by many. The anger expressed by community leaders was quite understandable. Two vulnerable, gay black men died under suspicious circumstances in Eddie’s apartment over a relatively short period of time, yet the authorities seemed to have no interest in pursuing the matter.  A well-organized campaign involving over a thousand people, was formed to seek justice for the two vulnerable men who died in Eddie’s living room. The cause received extensive media coverage.

So, a campaign for justice concerning the deaths of two down-on-their-luck, gay black men was formed and received widespread media coverage. The community was outraged over the matter. Naturally, the police immediately reopened their investigations into the deaths of the two men, obtained search warrants, and questioned Eddie Buck. Right?

Except, they did not. In fact, the police steadfastly maintained that the matter was closed. This made no sense to advocates for justice. Eddie, a wealthy white man, was an influential large donor to the Democratic Party, Democratic candidates and to progressive causes. West Hollywood, like all of Los Angels County, is a place run exclusively by liberal Democrats. This caused many to wonder if Eddie was being protected by those powerful Democratic politicians he donated so generously to.

The campaign for justice went on for over eight months with little to no action from the police. It seemed as though Eddie had a license to continue exploiting people. He undoubtedly must have thought as much because on September 4, 2019, he injected another man with an overdose of methamphetamine.

This third overdose victim was one Dane Brown.  Brown was a 26-year-old gay black man whom Eddie met online. Eddie must have been quite smitten over young Dane Brown as in addition to offering him money, he invited the young man to take up residence with him in his upscale apartment. Shortly after Dane moved into the apartment, Eddie started regularly injecting him with Methamphetamine and would give him GHB, a date rape drug- both are highly addictive.

Gee whiz, Eddie wasn’t trying to get his youthful new roommate addicted to these dangerous drugs so he could enslave and exploit him, was he? Nah. For his part, Dane wasn’t apparently much for reading newspapers or watching television newscasts. Had he done so, he might have realized what a perilous predicament he was in, given his decision to shack-up with Eddie.

In the wee hours of September 4, 2019, Eddie injected Dane with multiple doses on Methamphetamine. A blood test later revealed that Brown had five times the amount of Methamphetamine in his system as either of two other men who had died previously in Buck’s apartment had in theirs. Was Eddie growing tired of Dane and thus, simply decided to kill him with an intentional overdose?  We’ll never know and it would have been almost impossible to prove such an intent absent a confession from Eddie. What we do know is that after the third injection, Dane Brown stated he felt “nearly immobilized,” and believed that he was dying. It was reported that when he then asked Eddie to call the 9-1-1 to summon the paramedics, Eddie Buck cruelly refused to do so.

With every fiber of strength remaining in his body, Dane lurched out of the WeHo apartment and while trembling, sweating, and with a racing heart, stumbled away until he found a nearby payphone. He called the paramedics and the police. He was rushed to the hospital, and many consider it a miracle that he survived.

Dane Brown’s escape from the very clutches of death was the final nail in the proverbial coffin of Eddie Buck. This time there was a survivor. An eyewitness. One who could explain Eddie’s modus operandi. Eddie was arrested not long thereafter.

Interestingly enough, Eddie Buck was charged and tried in Federal Court. Several men were called as witnesses who had experienced Eddie’s creepy, evil hospitality. Yet the star witness was the young Dane Brown. It was Brown’s forthright and steady testimony which torpedoed the best efforts of the Eddie’s high-priced criminal defense lawyers. Brown’s harrowing ordeal as described in his own testimony, helped seal convictions against Eddie as follows:  1. Two counts of distribution of methamphetamine resulting in death. 2. Distribution of Methamphetamine. 3. Maintaining a drug-involved premises. 4. Enticing men to travel interstate for prostitution. 5. Providing drugs for compensation. 6. Using interstate Commerce to entice individuals to engage in prostitution.

Today, Eddie is living in Arizona again, where he first began his business career and political advocacy over 40 years ago. Eddie’s old stomping grounds in Phoenix have changed quite a bit since he last domiciled there in the 1980s. Yet, Eddie hardly notices the changes. In fact, Eddie never really gets around to seeing much of the city these days. That’s because Eddie’s new home is a drab, tiny prison cell in the United States Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Phoenix. These days, Eddie is referred to as “Prisoner 44535-112” in the US penitentiary system.

Buck has a tentative release date of 2051. He would be around 97 years-old then. Hence, Eddie is essentially serving a life sentence. So, happy days, right? Justice served! Hip, hip hooray! Well, not really.

This story has a terribly tragic ending. Dane Brown, the young man whose testimony put Eddie away, would later become Buck’s last victim. It was Eddie who got him hooked on Meth. Dane was never able to shake that horrible, powerful addiction. He was found lying dead on a street last year in 2024. The victim of a Methamphetamine overdose. Sometimes there are tragedies in this cruel, upside-down world that will cause your soul to ache and send hot tears streaming down your cheeks.

Rest in Peace: Gemmel Moore, Timothy Dean and Dane Brown.