'Zoloft defense' rapist hangs himself in his cell, attorney says

 

A former Westminster police detective convicted of rape and facing more than 100 years in prison has hanged himself in the San Bernardino County jail in Rancho Cucamonga, according to his attorney.

James Blatt, who represented Anthony Orban, said officials had informed his client's mother of the death.

Orban was scheduled to appear at a sentencing hearing Friday afternoon. He was convicted of rape and kidnapping for abducting a waitress from the Ontario Mills Mall and brutally assaulting her near a Fontana storage facility.

During his trial, Orban claimed he was "unconscious" and unaware of his actions due to his use of the antidepressant Zoloft. The jury rejected the defense.

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-- Phil Willon

Photo: Former Westminster police detective Anthony Orban, convicted of kidnapping and rape, walks in the courtroom for a hearing at San Bernardino County Superior Court, Rancho Cucamonga, in August. Credit: Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times