“There's a larger story there that people aren't looking at,” Ashlee Marie Preston, a transgender activist and former board member of the Stonewall Democratic Club, told NBC News of Buck in February. “It’s really about money, power, chemsex culture, and raceplay, and it’s this underground thing that many people aren’t talking about, and essentially it’s murder rebranded.”
Meanwhile, Dean, 55, died in January of this year. He was also found partially naked and surrounded by syringes and sex toys. Buck was also not charged in that death, and his attorney argued Buck had nothing to do with it, according to the Times.
Still, activists have repeatedly called for Buck’s take-down, alleging he was preying on black men — particularly homeless black men — who were attracted to promises of shelter and care.