Joseph Roberts, a law student at Golden Gate University, was recently arrested in connection to the horrifying murder of his fiancée, Rachel Elizabeth Imani Buckner, who was also a law student at the same institution. Buckner’s mutilated body was discovered on July 20th along a California beach, found inside a garbage bag without its head, hands, and feet.
According to a report from The New York Post, DNA evidence directly implicating Roberts was found on the tape used to wrap Buckner’s body. Detective Robert Hansen, assigned to the case, stated that Roberts’ DNA on the tape indicates his direct involvement in the murder and the subsequent attempt to conceal the crime.
Roberts, however, denied any knowledge of Buckner’s tragic death when questioned by authorities. His unfounded hypothesis claimed that she may have died by suicide, providing no plausible explanation as to how his DNA ended up on the dismembered remains.
In an unexpected turn, Roberts was previously portrayed in the media as a “victim” of the #MeToo movement. He had claimed that he was wrongly accused of sexual misconduct by sorority girls while studying at Savannah State University. His story was even used by the Trump administration as an example of what they portrayed as false accusations stemming from the #MeToo movement.
Buckner’s family, in a statement, described the immense sorrow and void that her untimely and brutal death had left in their lives and community.
Currently, Roberts is incarcerated in Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail without bail. He has yet to plead in the case.