Death of Westlake Village man at LAX said to be suicide

Suicide was determined to be the cause of death of 57year-old Westlake Village resident Robert Lee Scoville, whose body was discovered in Parking Structure 3 at Los Angeles International Airport.

At around 2:45 a.m. on May 1 an airport custodian on a break noticed a man slumped over the steering wheel of a late-model BMW parked at LAX, said Marshall Lowe, airport media spokesperson.

"The police were called, and the man was found to have a gunshot wound to his torso," Lowe said.

After an autopsy was performed on Scoville, the police put a security hold on information related to the case as they investigated to see if it could be a homicide, Chief Los Angeles County Coroner Craig Harvey said.

The investigation determined Scoville killed himself, said Detective Mike DePasquale, LAPD Pacific Homicide coordinator.

A gunpowder residue test was performed, and Scoville's hands tested positive for gunpowder residue, DePasquale said.

The detective also noted that the gun found near his body was Scoville's.

Suicides at the airport parking structure are more common than homicides, he said.

"We have several cases of suicides there every year," DePasquale said.

- Nancy Needham