Pedophile, Edward Leclair, killed himself in courtroom by drinking sodium nitrite.

Pedophile killed himself in courtroom by drinking sodium nitrite.

Edward Leclair, 57, was on trial in Denton, Texas in August facing five counts of sexual abuse and as the guilty verdict was being read, he downed a water bottle filled with a cloudy liquid.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office told The Daily Mail on Tuesday that Leclair died by suicide via the toxic effects of sodium nitrite.

Denton County Assistant District Attorney Jamie Beck told CNN at the time of Leclair’s death that an investigator observed Leclair chug the liquid before he was led away.

Beck told WFAA while those in the courtroom thought his drink from the bottle was strange, they felt it was his way of dealing with the verdict.

“Shortly after entering the holdover cell, he started vomiting, and emergency services were called,” Leclair’s defense attorney, Mike Howard said.

Howard said he saw Leclair take a “long drink from a water bottle” while listening to the verdict, but the attorney said he did not know what was in the bottle.

Leclair was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Surveillance video from the Denton County courthouse shows Leclair purchasing the water bottle around 7 a.m., The New York Times reported.

He was found unconscious, with witnesses saying he had 'gone gray' and was rushed to Medical City Denton where he was pronounced dead.

Beck added: "Our investigator noticed him chug the water. He told the bailiff he might want to go check on him. The bailiff did.

"He was unconscious in the holding cell. Shortly after entering the holdover cell, he started vomiting, and emergency services were called."

Surveillance video taken from inside the Denton County Court building shows Leclair purchasing the water from a vending machine in the courthouse around 7am, The New York Times reported.

Prosecutors believed that as jurors deliberated for three-and-a-half hours, Leclair who was out on bond, put the chemical compound in his water bottle.

Leclair's lawyer, Mike Howard told The New York Times that when his client realized that he could face up to 100 years in prison, he said, "I think he made the decision to do what he did at the last moment."

He continued: "Had he waited another 30 seconds, he would have been in sheriff’s custody and not had access to that bottled water. He wouldn’t have been able to. So, you know, I think he knew."