Cornered Suspect in Death of Ex-D.A. Kills Himself

A man sought in the shooting death of a former Marin County district attorney killed himself near a busy highway Tuesday as he carried a rifle, a harmless grenade and fake dynamite, officials said.

The slaying of former Dist. Atty. William Weissich was reported at 4 p.m., and a van was seen fleeing the scene, San Rafael police said. Officers stopped the van on a road near U.S. 101, about three blocks from the site of the Weissich shooting.

After holding police at bay for about two hours, the suspect, identified only as Malcolm Roland Schlette, 72, killed himself through “self-induced means,” although he did not use a gun, police spokeswoman Phyllis Huffman said.

Police did not release details on any connection between Schlette and Weissich. Officers were checking fingerprints and criminal records on the theory that when Weissich was district attorney, he might have prosecuted the man.

A U.S. Army spokesman said Schlette apparently used poison or alcohol and pills, but police would not confirm it.

An Army bomb squad from the Presidio in nearby San Francisco had been sent to the scene by helicopter.

Schlette had a World War II “dummy” practice grenade tied around his neck, said a Presidio spokeswoman. The squad also found that Schlette had been carrying three sticks of fake dynamite under his coat, the spokeswoman said.

Police reportedly also found a variety of guns and ammunition in the van.

Weissich, 66, was the youngest district attorney in California when he took office in 1953. He resigned in 1960 to open his own practice. He served as vice chairman of the Board of Trustees for California state colleges and universities from 1973 to 1974.

Police said the killer entered Weissich’s law office about 4 p.m. and, for an unknown reason, killed him with a shotgun blast.

Rush-hour traffic was tied up as police closed the northbound lanes of U.S. 101 while trying to arrest the suspect. Three tractor-trailers were parked around the van to protect the area from explosion.