Rape suspect accused of kidnapping female UCLA student found dead a day before court date

A Santa Monica man accused of kidnapping a UCLA student and raping another woman died a day before his scheduled court appearance.

First responders found 26-year-old Alexander Schecter unresponsive in the 800 block of San Vicente Boulevard around 6 p.m. Monday.

Police and paramedics were dispatched to the scene after a family member reported that Schecter was not breathing, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities are investigating his death as a suspected suicide, according to NBC LA. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner will determine the exact cause of death.

Schecter had been due in Airport Courthouse on Oct. 6 for a preliminary hearing on a slate of severe felony counts, including kidnapping to commit another crime, first-degree residential robbery, forcible rape, and two counts of forcible oral copulation.

Court documents reveal prosecutors alleged the offenses involved extreme violence, threats of great bodily harm, and acts demonstrating a high degree of cruelty.

According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Schecter prevented a female UCLA student from exiting his car at around 3 a.m. on March 6, 2026, while dropping her off on the 500 block of Landfair Avenue.

He threatened violence before the victim managed to escape half a mile away on Gayley Avenue.

Following the kidnapping incident, the UCLA Police arrested Schecter on March 12, 2026, and a subsequent investigation tied him to an unsolved sexual assault from late 2025.

Detectives alleged that Schecter sexually assaulted and raped a woman in Culver City at around 3:15 a.m. on Oct. 12, 2025.

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