Fla. teen commits suicide with live Web audience

[CptSternn]

http://tinyurl.com/5pmeqv

MIAMI – A college student committed suicide by taking a drug overdose in front of a live webcam as some computer users egged him on, others tried to talk him out of it, and another messaged OMG in horror when it became clear it was no joke. Some watchers contacted the Web site to notify police, but by the time officers entered Abraham Biggs' home — a scene also captured on the Internet — it was too late.

Biggs, a 19-year-old Broward College student who suffered from what his family said was bipolar disorder, or manic depression, lay dead on his bed in his father's Pembroke Pines house Wednesday afternoon, the camera still running 12 hours after Biggs announced his intentions online around 3 a.m.

It was unclear how many people watched it unfold.

Biggs was not the first person to commit suicide with a webcam rolling. But the drawn-out drama — and the reaction of those watching — was seen as an extreme example of young people's penchant for sharing intimate details about themselves over the Internet.

Biggs' family was infuriated that no one acted sooner to save him, neither the viewers nor the Web site that hosted the live video, Justin.tv. The Web site shows a video image, with a space alongside where computer users can instantly post comments.

Only when police arrived did the Web feed stop, "so that's 12 hours of watching," said the victim's sister, Rosalind Bigg. "They got hits, they got viewers, nothing happened for hours."

She added: "It didn't have to be."

An autopsy concluded Biggs died from a combination of opiates and benzodiazepine, which his family said was prescribed for his bipolar disorder.

Biggs announced his plans to kill himself over a Web site for bodybuilders, authorities said. But some users told investigators they did not take him seriously because he had threatened suicide on the site before.

Some members of his virtual audience encouraged him to do it, others tried to talk him out of it, and some discussed whether he was taking a dose big enough to kill himself, said Wendy Crane, an investigator with the Broward County medical examiner's office.

A computer user who claimed to have watched said that after swallowing some pills, Biggs went to sleep and appeared to be breathing for a few hours while others cracked jokes.

Someone notified the moderator of the bodybuilding site, who traced Biggs' location and called police, Crane said.

As police entered the room, the audience's reaction was filled with Internet shorthand: "OMFG," one wrote, meaning "Oh, my God." Others, either not knowing what they were seeing, or not caring, wrote "lol," which means "laughing out loud," and "hahahah."

An online video purportedly from Biggs' webcam shows a gun-wielding officer entering a bedroom, where a man is lying on a bed, his face turned away from the camera. The officer begins to examine him, as the camera lens is covered. Authorities could not immediately verify the authenticity of the video, though it matched their description of what occurred.

Montana Miller, an assistant professor of popular culture at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, said Biggs' very public suicide was not shocking, given the way teenagers chronicle every facet of their lives on sites like Facebook and MySpace.

"If it's not recorded or documented then it doesn't even seem worthwhile," she said. "For today's generation it might seem, `What's the point of doing it if everyone isn't going to see it?'"

She likened Biggs' death to other public ways of committing suicide, like jumping off a bridge.

Crane said she knows of a case in which a Florida man shot himself in the head in front of an online audience, though she didn't know how much viewers saw. In Britain last year, a man hanged himself while chatting online.

In a statement, Justin.tv CEO Michael Seibel said: "We regret that this has occurred and want to respect the privacy of the broadcaster and his family during this time."

The Web site would not say how many people were watching the broadcast. The site as a whole had 672,000 unique visitors in October, according to Nielsen.

Miami lawyer William Hill said there is probably nothing that could be done legally to those who watched and did not act. As for whether the Web site could be held liable, Hill said there doesn't seem to be much of a case for negligence.

"There could conceivably be some liability if they knew this was happening and they had some ability to intervene and didn't take action," said Hill, who does business litigation and has represented a number of Internet-based clients. But "I think it would be a stretch."

Condolences poured into Biggs' MySpace page, where the mostly unsmiling teen is seen posing in a series of pictures with various young women. On the bodybuilding Web site, Biggs used the screen name CandyJunkie. His Justin.tv alias was "feels_like_ecstacy."

Rosalind Bigg described her brother as an outgoing person who struck up conversations with Starbucks baristas and enjoyed taking his young nieces to Chuck E. Cheese. He was health-conscious and exercised but was not a bodybuilder, she said.

"This is very, very sudden and unexpected for us," the sister said. "It boggles the mind. We don't understand."

[Albert Mond]

Awesome.
messagetooshort

[Dr Nancy]

Who in the hell is entertained watching these cam shows?

[Apathy's_Child]

What a fucking dickwad.

[Renatus]

These are the darkest days indeed when a person can announce their death and have no one try to save them. If only we could go back to a day when the world was closer to black and white.

[Eclipsing the Son]

It's like looking into $hade's future.

Hey! Remember when we made him cry?

[Ms.Crowbar]

Me and my parents were arguing about this.
They kept on saying that he was stupid to commit suicide.
I kept on arguing that he was Bipolar. One minute, he's as high as a kite, the next, falling down a bottomless pit of depression with little chance of escape without medication.
He must've been in the low when he killed himself, and the fact that people were egging him on instead of calling the police annoyed the Hell out of me.
Even if it had been a prank, someone should still have called the police or an ambulance.
I mean, my teachers brother is Bipolar, and half the time, he doesn't know what he's doing. Money is nothing to him. When he's in the high, he spends and spends. When he's in the low, he doesn't know what he's doing and would probably kill himself if there was no-one looking after him.

[SKULHEDFACE]

People commit suicide daily and the fact that it was in a chat room changes NOTHING in my eyes. By the time he had copypasted his suicide note onto the forums and set up a show in which he had planned to overdose during there was probably little that could have been done to make this guy change his mind. And while it is incredibly easy to point a finger at the "cybersickos" who egged him on, or simply watched for entertainment the real blame is surely not to be laid on them. This kid obviously had some problems and my assumption is that his supposed faked attempt or w/e was a cry for attention which no one acknowledge. I'm really curious where his parents and friends were throughout build up and conclusion of these events. I can't help but think that if I were a parent that I would know when my child is depressed long before they went as far as killing themselves over it.

[KontanKarite]

I have an idea for stuff like this:

From now on, if anyone on the internet threatens suicide or a crime, even as a call for attention, call the cops.

If anything, it might save a life, if nothing more, it'll embarrass the fuck out of them.

[Eclipsing the Son]

Bipolar disorder is just another made up illness to help the pharmaceutical industry sell useless medications. I was diagnosed with it as a youth. Luckily I was wise enough to see through the bullshit and realize that nobody walks into a psychiatrist's office and leaves without being diagnosed with something. Don't fall for the money making schemes of such an industry. Embrace your true self and succeed!

[Ms.Crowbar]

Oh, because you know so much about it to make that assumption, don't you?
Fucktard.

[Bat Attack]

Originally Posted by Ms.Crowbar

Oh, because you know so much about it to make that assumption, don't you?
Fucktard.

Actually he's probably right. I know many doctors and psychologists that have said similar about that and other personality disorders.

[Saya]

Originally Posted by Bat Attack

Actually he's probably right. I know many doctors and psychologists that have said similar about that and other personality disorders.

Run from those doctors and psychologists. Don't walk, run!

[Bat Attack]

Originally Posted by Saya

Run from those doctors and psychologists. Don't walk, run!

And why is that may I ask?

[Eclipsing the Son]

They are nothing but career confidence men selling snake oil to a naive and brainwashed audience. You can be perfectly fine and simply mention that you felt depressed the other day and they will start you down the road of filling you with expensive medications. You will eventualy become immune to one prescription and they will replace it with another. In the end you will be in your 50's with nerve damage, causing uncontrolable tongue thrusts, tics and reduced motorskills; Possibly with more emotional problems than you started with.

All artists and people of intelligence experience sadness and awareness to stimuli that passes over the common man. All these people do is kill your unique experiences and ruin your life. Leaving you a shell of your true self.

[MegearaErotica]

I'm surprised they used Fla. instead of the more common Fl. for Florida's abbreviation.

[Solumina]

Originally Posted by Ms.Crowbar

Me and my parents were arguing about this.
They kept on saying that he was stupid to commit suicide.
I kept on arguing that he was Bipolar. One minute, he's as high as a kite, the next, falling down a bottomless pit of depression with little chance of escape without medication.
He must've been in the low when he killed himself, and the fact that people were egging him on instead of calling the police annoyed the Hell out of me.
Even if it had been a prank, someone should still have called the police or an ambulance.
I mean, my teachers brother is Bipolar, and half the time, he doesn't know what he's doing. Money is nothing to him. When he's in the high, he spends and spends. When he's in the low, he doesn't know what he's doing and would probably kill himself if there was no-one looking after him.

Common misconception that I want to clear up: generally speaking someone with bi-polar disorder would not kill themself while in a depressive phase, they are far more likely to do something like that while they are in a manic phase, as they are with any destructive action. This misconception has led people to fail to help their loved ones when they need it most.

[Underwater Ophelia]

Originally Posted by Renatus

These are the darkest days indeed when a person can announce their death and have no one try to save them. If only we could go back to a day when the world was closer to black and white.

Did you not read the article?
People did try to save him.

[Joker_in_the_Pack]

Originally Posted by Ms.Crowbar

They kept on saying that he was stupid to commit suicide.

Agreed. There is no excuse for suicide that doesn't make you look either stupid or weak.

[Eclipsing the Son]

http://images.*********************..../An_heroes.jpg

[Alain]

Originally Posted by Joker_in_the_Pack

Agreed. There is no excuse for suicide that doesn't make you look either stupid or weak.

First, you use the words "make you look". I'm upset because you're beginning with a negative statement, and placing yourself above people with suicidal tendencies because they "look" weak. Appearance and social status are far from the issue here, and make you(although you may not have meant this tone) come across to me as a petty and illogical individual who is more concerned with outward appearance than true contentment in this world. Please forgive me if I've taken your words in the wrong way, it is difficult to interpret short sentences online, when I have never met you in person, etc.

Secondly, excuse me? An excuse? Do you mean that you feel that people can be excused for suicide? Often it is the families of a suicidal person, or the local mental health system, or the idiocy of doctors and psychologists that fails the suicide. They need no excuse for feeling let down, isolated, or completely bereft. It is often not in their power to change anything. By your sentence, you seem to be forgetting the helplessness and hopelessness that suicidal people feel, and implying that they need an excuse.

Thirdly, "stupid or weak"? These people are damaged emotionally, and often not in control of their impulses or behaviour. Yes, they are vulnerable. I'm glad that you can recognise that. But you seem to feel that their inadequacies and vulnerability somehow preclude sympathy. Although suicide is never a true resolution to emotions, negative words like "stupid" and "weak" only serve to re-inforce suicidal people's negative self image, and tell them that the society they live in is unsympathetic, and antagonistic. Using these words only makes suicidal tendencies all the more likely, as depressed people feel more isolated, misunderstood, and vulnerable.

So - and this is coming from a home carer of a suicidal person - if you would kindly take your words and shove them, I would be much obliged.

[Joker_in_the_Pack]

Originally Posted by Alain

First, you use the words "make you look". I'm upset because you're beginning with a negative statement, and placing yourself above people with suicidal tendencies because they "look" weak. Appearance and social status are far from the issue here, and make you(although you may not have meant this tone) come across to me as a petty and illogical individual who is more concerned with outward appearance than true contentment in this world. Please forgive me if I've taken your words in the wrong way, it is difficult to interpret short sentences online, when I have never met you in person, etc.

Secondly, excuse me? An excuse? Do you mean that you feel that people can be excused for suicide? Often it is the families of a suicidal person, or the local mental health system, or the idiocy of doctors and psychologists that fails the suicide. They need no excuse for feeling let down, isolated, or completely bereft. It is often not in their power to change anything. By your sentence, you seem to be forgetting the helplessness and hopelessness that suicidal people feel, and implying that they need an excuse.

Thirdly, "stupid or weak"? These people are damaged emotionally, and often not in control of their impulses or behaviour. Yes, they are vulnerable. I'm glad that you can recognise that. But you seem to feel that their inadequacies and vulnerability somehow preclude sympathy. Although suicide is never a true resolution to emotions, negative words like "stupid" and "weak" only serve to re-inforce suicidal people's negative self image, and tell them that the society they live in is unsympathetic, and antagonistic. Using these words only makes suicidal tendencies all the more likely, as depressed people feel more isolated, misunderstood, and vulnerable.

So - and this is coming from a home carer of a suicidal person - if you would kindly take your words and shove them, I would be much obliged.

Your first paragraph was a load of bullshit, so I'm skipping that.

As to your other two, fine, let' me reword it.

Suicidal people are stupid and weak.

Better?

I don't give a shit how many problems you have. I will not accept people hiding behind the helpless "X fucked me over because of Y" bullshit. It's a fucking crutch and a pity shield I won't buy. Guess what? Everyone, without exception, has problems. No one has the excuse to say, "Oh this is too hard I quit" and off themselves. Get over your fucking problems, take your life into your own hands, and stop fucking whining. If someone's making you feel like shit, tell them to fuck off and find people who make you feel accepted. Suicide is the cowards way to life and if you think about that you're both selfish and cowardly.


Better?

[Albert Mond]

Originally Posted by Joker_in_the_Pack

I don't give a shit how many problems you have. I will not accept people hiding behind the helpless "X fucked me over because of Y" bullshit. It's a fucking crutch and a pity shield I won't buy. Guess what? Everyone, without exception, has problems. No one has the excuse to say, "Oh this is too hard I quit" and off themselves. Get over your fucking problems, take your life into your own hands, and stop fucking whining. If someone's making you feel like shit, tell them to fuck off and find people who make you feel accepted. Suicide is the cowards way to life and if you think about that you're both selfish and cowardly.

Bitch, please. Suicide is not only fun and romantic but CONVENIENT. Think of how many more angsty little yuppies and teenyboppers would bounce around without suicide!

[Joker_in_the_Pack]

Originally Posted by Albert Mond

Bitch, please. Suicide is not only fun and romantic but CONVENIENT. Think of how many more angsty little yuppies and teenyboppers would bounce around without suicide!

Food for thought, food for thought indeed. You remind me of this one guy I had a huge crush on in high school. He was gay and had only the feminine qualities in him that made him a total bitch sometimes, but in an endearing way. IT made me smile.

[Albert Mond]

Originally Posted by Joker_in_the_Pack

Food for thought, food for thought indeed. You remind me of this one guy I had a huge crush on in high school. He was gay and had only the feminine qualities in him that made him a total bitch sometimes, but in an endearing way. IT made me smile.

=)
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