US Man Kills Himself Live On Internet
November 22, 2008 by Staff
Filed under Technology
Miami - A young Florida man filmed his suicide and broadcast it live on the Internet through his webcam, authorities announced Friday.
Abraham Biggs, 19 has consumed a cocktail of three drugs that had been fatal Wednesday in front of other people who could see the video of the drama on the Internet, said here at the office of County Medical AffairsBroward.
Pembroke Pine county police confirmed that he had been found dead in front of his computer and the video was broadcast live on Internet.
“He died before his webcam and it was aired,” said Sergeant John Gazzano, police Broward, which has however refused to confirm that it was a suicide, saying “an investigation was open.”
Authorities say Biggs is not the first person to commit suicide with a webcam rolling. Before committing suicide and turning his Web Cam on,Abraham had posted a suicide note on another forum forum.bodybuilding.com/
It’s unclear how many people were watching through the Web site bodybuilding.com. Someone finally notified a site moderator, who pinpointed Biggs location and called police, but they arrived too late to save him, Crane said.
1,500 people watched live as Abraham died on the website Justin.tv.
Michael Seibel, CEO of Justin.tv, claimed in an email to The Times newspaper that his website has policies in place to “discourage the distribution of distressing content.” There is really not much more the site can do beyond having a policy of trying to get help for people who post these messages or videos. This help-line is something afternoon talk shows like The Montel Williams Show used to do with “guests” who were troubled souls looking for a little moment of celebrity while they battled their demons. Dr. Phil’s show offers similar after-show counseling. Would or could these online site administrators do such a thing? Hmmm…not likely.
Biggs, who used the screen name “CandyJunkie” on the bodybuilding Web site, started blogging about plans to kill himself 12 hours before he was found lying dead on his bed. He posted a link from bodybuilding.com to Justin.tv, a site that allows users to broadcast live videos from their webcams.
According to Bodybuilding.com moderators, Biggs had a reputation for internet trolling – causing both the forum’s users and administrators to take his suicide threats as a joke. After posting his suicide note, Biggs switched on his Justin.tv feed, and proceeded to take a large number of pills before laying down on his bed.
But Biggs family was infuriated that neither viewers nor the site acted sooner to save him.
“When (police) came in, the webfeed stopped. So that s 12 hours of watching,” said his sister, Rosalind Biggs, who said her brother struggled with bipolar disorder. “They got hits, they got viewers, nothing happened for hours.”
Rosalind Biggs described her brother as a friendly, social, outgoing person who struck up conversations with Starbucks baristas and enjoyed taking his young nieces to Chuck E. Cheese.
The forum on bodybuilding.com has been offline since police discovered the body.
The suicide is currently being investigated by authorities.
I bet the people (monsters), who egged him on feel proud. They have some serious karma coming their way.
I hope to God they get charged with accessory to murder and are locked up in cages where beasts belong.
My heart and prayers go out to the family.
I agree.
People think they can say whatever they want because they’re at home hiding behind a computer screen. T
You can bet this is gong to be in the new for awhile, and some of these people watching this who egged him on and did NOTHING to stop it are going to face criminal charges.
I realize the family of this man is distraught over “their” loss and I can empathize with them. They should keep in mind that it was his choice and his life. He has a right to decide when he’s had enough and end it. When a person dies, the people in their lives grieve “their” loss because, at the root, their sadness and anger is all about what “they” have lost and forget to think about the deceased’s wishes.
This may seem harsh to some, but this is the reality of the situation. Take the time to truely consider the matter from all angles and remember, if a person is miserable in this life, maybe they are happier in the next!
LH
“According to Bodybuilding.com moderators, Biggs had a reputation for internet trolling – causing both the forum’s users and administrators to take his suicide threats as a joke.”
Accessory to murder? Criminal charges? For failing to realize that a known troll was just joking? Wake up and smell the internet.
So according to Dirk, if you’re considered an internet troll, or if you’ve threatened suicide in the past and happen to be bi-polar, or depressed to the point of taking your own life, it’s ok to urge someone to kill themselves.
It’s just a joke to Dirk.
I wonder how fast he was at attempting to delete HIS comments?
The fact is, there is no excuse for egging somebody on to kill themselves no matter what the circumstances. How human of you Dirk.
Tom, when did I say it was ok? Nice way to place words in my mouth. All I said was that accessory to murder and criminal charges are a little extreme considering everyone (including admins and mods) thought he was joking, that he was a known troll who had lied about it in the past. So, according to you, the villagers who allowed the boy who cried wolf to get eaten by the wolf after the third time should all be locked up as accessories to murder. Aesop is rolling in his grave.