While Derrick Rose's rape trial is heating up in Los Angeles, a shocking report is making headlines outside of the courtroom.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that an LAPD detective who was investigating the rape accusations against the New York Knicks' point guard died due to a single gunshot wound in a home in the Whittier section of LA on Tuesday afternoon. 

On Wednesday, the detective was identified as Nadine Hernandez by the LA County Coroner's department. She was 44 years old.

According to the Times, local Whittier police received a call Tuesday afternoon about a possible suicide. However, as of press time, Whittier Lt. Steve Dean told the newspaper that it's unclear whether she was killed via a homicide or suicide.

LAPD sources did confirm, however, that Hernandez was one of two detectives assigned to investigate Rose's high-profile rape case.

It was Hernandez who also penned a letter to U.S. District Judge Michael Fitzgerald, asking him to reconsider having Rose's accuser identified in court — something that Fitzgerald eventually agreed with.

According to the Times, Hernandez explained to Judge Fitzgerald that keeping a rape accuser's anonymity is "an invaluable investigative aid to investigators.”

The Times additionally reported that the woman alleging rape against Rose and his two friends — as part of a $21.3 million civil rape lawsuit trial — and her lawyer were visibly shaken in court Wednesday upon learning of Hernandez's death.

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