Dead man was Witherspoon snapper

Reese Witherspoon said one her daughter's friends was hit

A man found dead in Los Angeles was that of the photographer facing assault charges for taking pictures of Reese Witherspoon, a coroner confirmed.

The decomposed body of Todd Kevin Wallace, 44, was discovered in his apartment on 5 February.

He had missed a court hearing into the assault claims and was thought to have skipped bail.

Coroners have not yet determined cause of death as they are waiting on results of toxicology tests.

Witherspoon will be at the Academy Awards in March where she is nominated for a best actress Oscar for her performance in Walk the Line.

In December, an arrest warrant was issued for Mr Wallace after he did not turn up for his bail hearing.

Prison term

The charges, which included a misdemeanour one of battery, related to an alleged incident at Disney's California Adventure park.

Prosecutors said Mr Wallace hit a five-year-old girl who was with Witherspoon to celebrate her daughter's sixth birthday, after the actress refused to have her photograph taken.

He was also alleged to have pushed two park employees to get them out of the way.

Mr Wallace had denied any wrongdoing. He had previously spent four years in jail following a burglary conviction.