6-29-2007 South Carolina:
GASTON, SC (WIS) - A 60-year-old has died in a camper trailer fire that officials say involved the combination of a lit cigarette and the man's nearby oxygen.
The pathologist who performed the autopsy found no evidence of foul play.
Many knew Kevin Griffin around Gaston as the man who ran a roadside peanut stand.
A couple of hours after the fire was out, firefighters still had to hose down the wreckage of Kevin Griffin's trailer. The blaze killed Griffin and Blue, his dog. Both were dead before anyone could get to them.
Timothy Anglin of the Gaston Police Department says the structure was "nothing but fire and smoke. I could see smoke from Highway 321 as I was responding. But it was fully engulfed. What you see is what I pretty much rolled up on, just picture flames all up in it."
His landlord says Griffin had lived in the trailer since the mid-90's. Before that, Griffin lived in a house at the same location. That house off Gaston Street was also destroyed by fire.
Much of his time at the Gaston Street location, he made money selling boiled peanuts, blankets and other items on the roadsides around Gaston.
The 60-year-old suffered from lung disease and had to use a motorized wheelchair. A friend says Griffin's doctor had told him he had only months to live. Friends say Griffin was a heavy smoker.
Landlord Emily Baughman says Griffin would often smoke while using an oxygen tank, and didn't seem to be concerned about the risk of an explosion. She lives next door. "Yes, it worried me. Because I said Kevin, it just shortens your life. He said, 'Well, I ain't got no life anyway.' That's the answer he would give me. I said, 'Oh, my God man, please. Let's live as long as we can.'"
Anglin says, "And as I responded on the scene, there was a couple of mini-explosions also with some flare-ups from the flames."
Friends say Griffin was a good-natured man. Some also knew he had a dark side.
In 1975, he was convicted of rape in Charleston County. His conviction for first degree criminal sexual conduct is listed on the state's sex offender web site. His landlord told WIS News 10 that Griffin admitted serving a lengthy prison term.
But his refusal to stop smoking near an oxygen tank might have bothered them just as much. George Lever says, "We all told him what ... you know, fire and oxygen didn't mix."
Griffin had no immediate family in the area. A sister from Connecticut is said to be on the way to handle funeral arrangements. ..more.. by Jack Kuenzie
Morton man who burned himself ruled a suicide
Article Tags
.Illinois,
2007,
Age 37-48,
by Self-Immolation,
Suicide - Extremely Violent,
Suicide/s US - of RSOs
6-30-2007 Illinois:
PEKIN - A Tazewell County Coroner's Jury ruled Thursday that the death of a man who doused himself in gasoline and set himself ablaze was a suicide.
Stuart C. Nelson, 47, of 379 E. Forestwood, Morton, went to the Travel Center on May 18 at 1801 N. Morton Ave., bought a gas can and $1.55 cents of gasoline, poured it over himself and lit himself on fire. He died at 1 a.m.
Witnesses said Nelson never uttered a sound the entire time - even when on fire.
Witnesses ran to his aid with fire extinguishers and put out the blaze.
Nelson was living at the Days Inn nearby. He had been forced to move from his parents' house because it was near a school and he was a sex offender.
He had just gotten out of jail.
But Nelson's father claims his son no longer was required to be registered as a sex offender.
Richard Nelson said his home actually is far enough from Grundy Grade School, but his son was not allowed to live there because he smokes.
Dealing with loss
“He was a great kid. It just tears you apart. You're not supposed to bury your children,” Richard Nelson said Thursday. “I want to remember him as my son, smiling and joking and having a good time.”
Nelson was a schizophrenic, said Morton Police Department Detective Sgt. Bill Roth.
“If he stayed on his meds - and that was his problem - and off alcohol he was a decent guy to talk to,” said Roth. “He was a whole different person when he was drinking.”
Witnesses reported Nelson had a “scary look” on his face. “He had a look in his eyes that people said he was wild, he was agitated,” Roth said during Thursday's inquest.
Roth said the inability to move back in with his parents may have been a contributing factor to his suicide.
An autopsy established the cause of death as inhalation of hot gases that caused spasms and edema to the larynx, said Tazewell County Coroner Dennis Conover.
A toxicology screen found no legal or illegal substances in his system. He was supposed to be on Thorazine, but there was none in his system, Conover said.
“With the closure of Zellers (Mental Health Center) I know there are more and more people on the streets who need help,” said Conover.
After starting the blaze, Nelson walked away from the pumps to the south side of the parking lot where he dropped to the ground.
Conover said that decision by Nelson saved lives. ..more.. by Sharon Woods Harris (Self-Immolation)
PEKIN - A Tazewell County Coroner's Jury ruled Thursday that the death of a man who doused himself in gasoline and set himself ablaze was a suicide.
Stuart C. Nelson, 47, of 379 E. Forestwood, Morton, went to the Travel Center on May 18 at 1801 N. Morton Ave., bought a gas can and $1.55 cents of gasoline, poured it over himself and lit himself on fire. He died at 1 a.m.
Witnesses said Nelson never uttered a sound the entire time - even when on fire.
Witnesses ran to his aid with fire extinguishers and put out the blaze.
Nelson was living at the Days Inn nearby. He had been forced to move from his parents' house because it was near a school and he was a sex offender.
He had just gotten out of jail.
But Nelson's father claims his son no longer was required to be registered as a sex offender.
Richard Nelson said his home actually is far enough from Grundy Grade School, but his son was not allowed to live there because he smokes.
Dealing with loss
“He was a great kid. It just tears you apart. You're not supposed to bury your children,” Richard Nelson said Thursday. “I want to remember him as my son, smiling and joking and having a good time.”
Nelson was a schizophrenic, said Morton Police Department Detective Sgt. Bill Roth.
“If he stayed on his meds - and that was his problem - and off alcohol he was a decent guy to talk to,” said Roth. “He was a whole different person when he was drinking.”
Witnesses reported Nelson had a “scary look” on his face. “He had a look in his eyes that people said he was wild, he was agitated,” Roth said during Thursday's inquest.
Roth said the inability to move back in with his parents may have been a contributing factor to his suicide.
An autopsy established the cause of death as inhalation of hot gases that caused spasms and edema to the larynx, said Tazewell County Coroner Dennis Conover.
A toxicology screen found no legal or illegal substances in his system. He was supposed to be on Thorazine, but there was none in his system, Conover said.
“With the closure of Zellers (Mental Health Center) I know there are more and more people on the streets who need help,” said Conover.
After starting the blaze, Nelson walked away from the pumps to the south side of the parking lot where he dropped to the ground.
Conover said that decision by Nelson saved lives. ..more.. by Sharon Woods Harris (Self-Immolation)
Standoff Has Deadly Ending
Article Tags
.West Virginia,
2007,
Age 37-48,
by Gunshot,
Suicide/s US - of SOs Accused
6-21-2007 West Virginia:
NEW MARTINSVILLE -- A New Martinsville stand-off between an armed man and police ended in tragedy Thursday.
Ray Allen Longwell Jr., 42, was due in court to face a charge of child molestation.
Longwell called police saying he wouldn't make his court date.
He added it wouldn't matter anyway because he was going to kill himself.
Officers from the New Martinsville Police Department, West Virginia State Police and Wetzel County Sheriff's Department rushed to Hydro Drive where his car was left.
Longwell shot himself in the woods. ..more.. by D.K. Wright
NEW MARTINSVILLE -- A New Martinsville stand-off between an armed man and police ended in tragedy Thursday.
Ray Allen Longwell Jr., 42, was due in court to face a charge of child molestation.
Longwell called police saying he wouldn't make his court date.
He added it wouldn't matter anyway because he was going to kill himself.
Officers from the New Martinsville Police Department, West Virginia State Police and Wetzel County Sheriff's Department rushed to Hydro Drive where his car was left.
Longwell shot himself in the woods. ..more.. by D.K. Wright
Former teacher, sex offender ends own life, police say
6-14-2007 Maryland:
A former Howard County teacher and convicted sex offender who evaded jail for 10 months in 2001 after he failed to show up to begin his incarceration was found dead in the Patapsco River, near Ellicott City, last week, in what Baltimore County police said was a suicide.
Klaude Joseph Krannebitter, 44, of the 700 block of Charing Cross Road, in Baltimore County, jumped to his death June 7 from a bridge on Interstate 70, near the Howard-Baltimore county line, according to Baltimore County police.
Krannebitter's body was discovered on the same day that he was scheduled to appear in Harford County Circuit Court for a trial on charges of drunken driving.
A fisherman discovered Krannebitter's body in shallow water shortly after 8 a.m., police said, adding that officers found Krannebitter's car parked on the bridge and a suicide note in the car.
Prior to his conviction in 1999 on charges that he had sex with a 15-year-old Baltimore County boy, Krannebitter taught health and physical education at Glenwood Middle School from 1986 to 1999, and for several years coached junior varsity and varsity boys basketball at Glenelg High School.
Money for sex acts, boy said
A former Howard County teacher and convicted sex offender who evaded jail for 10 months in 2001 after he failed to show up to begin his incarceration was found dead in the Patapsco River, near Ellicott City, last week, in what Baltimore County police said was a suicide.
Klaude Joseph Krannebitter, 44, of the 700 block of Charing Cross Road, in Baltimore County, jumped to his death June 7 from a bridge on Interstate 70, near the Howard-Baltimore county line, according to Baltimore County police.
Krannebitter's body was discovered on the same day that he was scheduled to appear in Harford County Circuit Court for a trial on charges of drunken driving.
A fisherman discovered Krannebitter's body in shallow water shortly after 8 a.m., police said, adding that officers found Krannebitter's car parked on the bridge and a suicide note in the car.
Prior to his conviction in 1999 on charges that he had sex with a 15-year-old Baltimore County boy, Krannebitter taught health and physical education at Glenwood Middle School from 1986 to 1999, and for several years coached junior varsity and varsity boys basketball at Glenelg High School.
Money for sex acts, boy said
Facing child porn trial, Frostburg prof apparently killed self
Article Tags
.Maryland,
(.Child Porn US,
2007,
Age 49-59,
by Carbon Monoxide,
Suicide/s US - of SOs Accused
6-12-2007 Maryland:
FROSTBURG, Md. — A longtime Frostburg State University foreign-languages professor charged with possessing child pornography apparently committed suicide days before he was scheduled to stand trial.
Officers were called to the home of MacGregor O’Brien, 57, after a family member found him unconscious about 3:20 p.m. Monday in an idling car in the home’s garage, police said.
Plastic tubing had been taped to the exhaust and run through one of the car’s windows and the doors on the vehicle and garage were closed. O’Brien also left several notes, police said.
Investigators said foul play was not suspected. O’Brien’s body was being sent to the Maryland State Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore for autopsy.
O’Brien, 57, of Frostburg, faced 13 counts of possessing child porn, according to court documents. His trial was scheduled to begin later this week. ..more.. by The Daily Times
FROSTBURG, Md. — A longtime Frostburg State University foreign-languages professor charged with possessing child pornography apparently committed suicide days before he was scheduled to stand trial.
Officers were called to the home of MacGregor O’Brien, 57, after a family member found him unconscious about 3:20 p.m. Monday in an idling car in the home’s garage, police said.
Plastic tubing had been taped to the exhaust and run through one of the car’s windows and the doors on the vehicle and garage were closed. O’Brien also left several notes, police said.
Investigators said foul play was not suspected. O’Brien’s body was being sent to the Maryland State Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore for autopsy.
O’Brien, 57, of Frostburg, faced 13 counts of possessing child porn, according to court documents. His trial was scheduled to begin later this week. ..more.. by The Daily Times
Inmate at Garfield County jail commits suicide
1-12-2007 Colorado:
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — Garfield County Sheriff’s deputies discovered an apparent suicide in the maximum security area of the jail late Monday night.
Deputies found Timothy Schilz Jr., 24, at approximately 11:30 p.m. during a scheduled inmate security check in the maximum security unit of the Garfield County Detention Facility. Schilz, whose last known address is in Parachute, had committed suicide by hanging in his cell, according to a release.
At the time of the incident Schilz was not under any suicide or behavioral watch.
Schilz was a pretrial inmate being housed for two charges of contempt of court. The first contempt charge was for false information on sex offender registration and a second contempt charge of check fraud. He was also being held on failure to register as a sex offender.
This incident is being reviewed by the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office Professional Standards investigator, according to the press release.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available. ..more.. by Post Independent
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACLU wants info on inmate suicide
6-19-2007 Colorado:
GLENWOOD SPRINGS — The American Civil Liberties Union has asked for the mental health records of a Garfield County Jail inmate who committed suicide last week.
The ACLU wants the records of Timothy Schilz Jr. as part of its lawsuit over inmate treatment at the Glenwood Springs jail, ACLU Legal Director Mark Silverstein said.
Schilz had been held for allegedly sex offender restrictions and other charges. He was found hanging in his cell during a regularly scheduled security check on June 11.
Silverstein said inmate mental health needs were not met at the jail during the time alleged in the ACLU lawsuit.
“They couldn’t see a psychiatrist or get any type of follow-up mental health help they needed,” he said. “Prisoners with serious mental health needs have the same constitutional right to help that a prisoner with a broken leg has for medical care.”
According to Sheriff’s Department incident reports the ACLU has already received, Schilz was placed on “suicide watch” by jail guards once in 2005 and again last year, Silverstein said.
Sheriff Lou Vallario could not be reached for comment Monday, but said last week that Schilz was not on “suicide watch” and he was unaware of any problems Schilz might have had with jail guards before his death.
The death was the first for the jail since it opened in November 2001. Schilz was booked into the jail on Feb. 13, Vallario said.
The ACLU filed a class action lawsuit last July in Denver federal court claiming jail inmates were subjected to misuse and abuse of pepperball guns, restraint chairs, Tasers, pepper spray and electroshock belts. Two inmates were also allegedly denied access to mental health care.
The lawsuit names Vallario and Jail Commander Scott Dawson as defendants and jail inmates Clarence Vandehey, William Langley, Samuel Lincoln and Jared Hogue as plaintiffs. Vallario has denied all the allegations.
Silverstein said depositions in the case will begin soon, but no court hearing has been scheduled yet. ..more.. by GJSentinel.com
GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — Garfield County Sheriff’s deputies discovered an apparent suicide in the maximum security area of the jail late Monday night.
Deputies found Timothy Schilz Jr., 24, at approximately 11:30 p.m. during a scheduled inmate security check in the maximum security unit of the Garfield County Detention Facility. Schilz, whose last known address is in Parachute, had committed suicide by hanging in his cell, according to a release.
At the time of the incident Schilz was not under any suicide or behavioral watch.
Schilz was a pretrial inmate being housed for two charges of contempt of court. The first contempt charge was for false information on sex offender registration and a second contempt charge of check fraud. He was also being held on failure to register as a sex offender.
This incident is being reviewed by the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office Professional Standards investigator, according to the press release.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available. ..more.. by Post Independent
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACLU wants info on inmate suicide
6-19-2007 Colorado:
GLENWOOD SPRINGS — The American Civil Liberties Union has asked for the mental health records of a Garfield County Jail inmate who committed suicide last week.
The ACLU wants the records of Timothy Schilz Jr. as part of its lawsuit over inmate treatment at the Glenwood Springs jail, ACLU Legal Director Mark Silverstein said.
Schilz had been held for allegedly sex offender restrictions and other charges. He was found hanging in his cell during a regularly scheduled security check on June 11.
Silverstein said inmate mental health needs were not met at the jail during the time alleged in the ACLU lawsuit.
“They couldn’t see a psychiatrist or get any type of follow-up mental health help they needed,” he said. “Prisoners with serious mental health needs have the same constitutional right to help that a prisoner with a broken leg has for medical care.”
According to Sheriff’s Department incident reports the ACLU has already received, Schilz was placed on “suicide watch” by jail guards once in 2005 and again last year, Silverstein said.
Sheriff Lou Vallario could not be reached for comment Monday, but said last week that Schilz was not on “suicide watch” and he was unaware of any problems Schilz might have had with jail guards before his death.
The death was the first for the jail since it opened in November 2001. Schilz was booked into the jail on Feb. 13, Vallario said.
The ACLU filed a class action lawsuit last July in Denver federal court claiming jail inmates were subjected to misuse and abuse of pepperball guns, restraint chairs, Tasers, pepper spray and electroshock belts. Two inmates were also allegedly denied access to mental health care.
The lawsuit names Vallario and Jail Commander Scott Dawson as defendants and jail inmates Clarence Vandehey, William Langley, Samuel Lincoln and Jared Hogue as plaintiffs. Vallario has denied all the allegations.
Silverstein said depositions in the case will begin soon, but no court hearing has been scheduled yet. ..more.. by GJSentinel.com
Detainee is found hanged in cell, an apparent suicide
Article Tags
.Maryland,
2007,
Age-P 24-36,
by Hanging,
in Jail - US,
Suicide/s US - of SOs Accused
6-7-2007 Maryland:
A detainee at Central Booking and Intake Center was found hanging from a sheet in his cell Tuesday night in an apparent suicide, officials said yesterday.
It was the third suicide this year at the detention facility, according to Barbara Cooper, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Division of Pretrial Detention and Services. At 8:10 p.m., a correctional officer found Franklin L. Halterman, 33, of Northeast Baltimore hanging from the ceiling of his cell with a sheet tied around his neck, Cooper said.
The officer cut Halterman down, called 911 and administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation, aided by an emergency medical unit, she said.
Halterman was then taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 8:45 p.m., officials said.
He had been held at central booking since April 30, awaiting a hearing this month on several sex crimes charges, including sexual abuse of a minor, according to court records.
Because the incident is under investigation, officials would not say whether Halterman had been on suicide watch. ..more.. by Baltimore Sun
A detainee at Central Booking and Intake Center was found hanging from a sheet in his cell Tuesday night in an apparent suicide, officials said yesterday.
It was the third suicide this year at the detention facility, according to Barbara Cooper, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Division of Pretrial Detention and Services. At 8:10 p.m., a correctional officer found Franklin L. Halterman, 33, of Northeast Baltimore hanging from the ceiling of his cell with a sheet tied around his neck, Cooper said.
The officer cut Halterman down, called 911 and administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation, aided by an emergency medical unit, she said.
Halterman was then taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about 8:45 p.m., officials said.
He had been held at central booking since April 30, awaiting a hearing this month on several sex crimes charges, including sexual abuse of a minor, according to court records.
Because the incident is under investigation, officials would not say whether Halterman had been on suicide watch. ..more.. by Baltimore Sun
Cops Identify Body, Call Death Suicide
Article Tags
.West Virginia,
2007,
Age 49-59,
by Gunshot,
Suicide/s US - of RSOs
Man Was Sought By West Virginia Police
6-3-2007 West Virginia:
UPPER TRACT, W.Va. — The decomposed body of a man found about a month ago has been identified as Zane Truett Partain, according to a report filed by State Police Sgt. J.A. Wyatt.
Authorities estimate that Partain, a registered sex offender wanted on a probation violation in Maryland, died on Feb. 21.
The 58-year-old Partain was the subject of a search by Pendleton County police on that day after a confrontation with some family members led to a two-hour lockdown of Franklin Elementary School.
The Discovery
On May 8, Wyatt was dispatched to the Brushy Run area in Upper Tract to investigate the discovery of a decomposed body found near a culvert.
The body was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Charleston, where an autopsy revealed that the victim had died of a single gunshot wound to the forehead, according to the report.
"Due to the decomposition, identification was difficult and took a great deal of time," Wyatt said.
School Lockdown
On Feb. 21, Franklin Elementary School was placed under a "Code Red" or lockdown condition following a recommendation from local law enforcement officers. The decision was made after the school received a telephone call from a mother of two students that "raised concerns," a school official said at the time. It’s .
But in a statement the following day, State Police Trooper A.D. Teter said that police were searching for Partain. Although he was a registered sex offender in Maryland, the confrontation Partain had with family members was not pertinent to his sex-offender status, Teter said.
Police searched around the school, but did not go inside, Teter said.
A Maryland State Police Trooper 5 helicopter patrolled around the Upper Tract area and assisted in the search, Teter added.
"This case is closed and has been determined to be a suicide. There will be no further statements or information surrounding this investigation," Wyatt added. ..more.. by Joan Ashley
6-3-2007 West Virginia:
UPPER TRACT, W.Va. — The decomposed body of a man found about a month ago has been identified as Zane Truett Partain, according to a report filed by State Police Sgt. J.A. Wyatt.
Authorities estimate that Partain, a registered sex offender wanted on a probation violation in Maryland, died on Feb. 21.
The 58-year-old Partain was the subject of a search by Pendleton County police on that day after a confrontation with some family members led to a two-hour lockdown of Franklin Elementary School.
The Discovery
On May 8, Wyatt was dispatched to the Brushy Run area in Upper Tract to investigate the discovery of a decomposed body found near a culvert.
The body was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Charleston, where an autopsy revealed that the victim had died of a single gunshot wound to the forehead, according to the report.
"Due to the decomposition, identification was difficult and took a great deal of time," Wyatt said.
School Lockdown
On Feb. 21, Franklin Elementary School was placed under a "Code Red" or lockdown condition following a recommendation from local law enforcement officers. The decision was made after the school received a telephone call from a mother of two students that "raised concerns," a school official said at the time. It’s .
But in a statement the following day, State Police Trooper A.D. Teter said that police were searching for Partain. Although he was a registered sex offender in Maryland, the confrontation Partain had with family members was not pertinent to his sex-offender status, Teter said.
Police searched around the school, but did not go inside, Teter said.
A Maryland State Police Trooper 5 helicopter patrolled around the Upper Tract area and assisted in the search, Teter added.
"This case is closed and has been determined to be a suicide. There will be no further statements or information surrounding this investigation," Wyatt added. ..more.. by Joan Ashley
Man found dead in Hampton identified
Article Tags
.Maine,
2007,
Age 49-59,
by Unknown Cause,
Suicide/s US - of RSOs
6-2-2007 Maine:
HAMPTON — Police have identified the man who was found dead in the woods Thursday afternoon near the Park and Ride parking lot at the corner of Timberswamp and Exeter roads.
Hampton Police Chief Jamie Sullivan identified the individual as Glenn Adams, 51, of Hampton.
Adams, who lived at 41 Thorwald Ave., was a convicted sex offender.
Police said the death is an apparent suicide, but they will not know for sure until an autopsy is performed.
Adams had been missing since May 28, when relatives filed a missing persons report with the Police Department stating that he was "missing and potentially suicidal."
His car was spotted Thursday at 1 p.m. parked in the Park and Ride by a relative who was looking for him.
The relative called police, who in turn conducted a search of the wooded area. There were no visible self-inflicted wounds on the body, police said.
Police would not comment on whether a note was found at the scene.
At Rockingham Superior Court in 1995, Adams was convicted of molesting a child under the age of 13. ..more.. by Patrick Cronin
HAMPTON — Police have identified the man who was found dead in the woods Thursday afternoon near the Park and Ride parking lot at the corner of Timberswamp and Exeter roads.
Hampton Police Chief Jamie Sullivan identified the individual as Glenn Adams, 51, of Hampton.
Adams, who lived at 41 Thorwald Ave., was a convicted sex offender.
Police said the death is an apparent suicide, but they will not know for sure until an autopsy is performed.
Adams had been missing since May 28, when relatives filed a missing persons report with the Police Department stating that he was "missing and potentially suicidal."
His car was spotted Thursday at 1 p.m. parked in the Park and Ride by a relative who was looking for him.
The relative called police, who in turn conducted a search of the wooded area. There were no visible self-inflicted wounds on the body, police said.
Police would not comment on whether a note was found at the scene.
At Rockingham Superior Court in 1995, Adams was convicted of molesting a child under the age of 13. ..more.. by Patrick Cronin
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