Kevin Whitrick
| Kevin Whitrick | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 August 1964 Cross Houses, Shrewsbury |
| Died | 21 March 2007 (aged 42) Wellington, Telford, Shropshire, UK |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Spouse | Paula Whitrick |
| Children | One son, one daughter |
Kevin Neil Whitrick (August 17, 1964 – March 21, 2007) was a British citizen and an electrical engineer.[1] Whitrick's death was highly publicized for his live, online webcasted suicide.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Marriage and children
At the time of his death, he was married to his wife Paula, and had 12-year-old twins, one male and one female, but lived apart from his family after the breakdown of his marriage two years previously.[2]
[edit] Suicide
On the day of his death, Kevin Whitrick was in a chatroom on PalTalk and was joined by about 60 other users in a special "insult" chatroom where people "have a go at each other".[2] He stood on a chair, punched a hole in his ceiling and placed a rope around a joist, and then tied the other end around his neck, then stepped off the chair. Some people thought this was a prank, until his face started turning blue. Some people in the chat room egged him on while others tried desperately to find his address. A member in the room contacted the police, who arrived at the scene two minutes later. Kevin Whitrick was pronounced dead at 11:15 p.m. GMT.[1]
[edit] Aftermath
The death has been reported in the press and is notable due to fear it might inspire other suicides,[3] the possibility of the webcam footage being made available on the internet,[4] and discussions over the culpability of web users who encouraged the man.
The police detectives traced about 100 chatroom users to question them about their role in the cyber suicide.[5] The Crown Prosecution Service has stated that none of the chatroom users will face criminal charges.[6]
[edit] Similar incidents
- Brandon Vedas died of a unintentional drug overdose while engaged in an internet chat, as shown on his webcam.[7]
- Abraham Biggs, 19, committed suicide by consuming significant quantities of prescription drugs, and streaming his suicide live on Justin.tv under the name feels_like_ecstacy. Before he fell unconscious and subsequently died, Biggs was also chatting on a body building forum, where he had reportedly threatened to commit suicide on numerous occasions.[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Bale, Joanna (2007-03-24). "Get on with it, said net audience as man hanged himself on webcam". Times Online. Times Newspapers Ltd. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article1560877.ece. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ a b "Chatroom users 'egged on father to kill himself live on webcam'". This is London. Associated Newspapers Ltd. 2007-03-24. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23390052-details/British+man+commits+suicide+on+live+webcam/article.do. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ Live hanging shown on web – Alberta suicide-prevention groups brace for copycat deaths
- ^ Keep online suicide footage offline: police
- ^ Ungoed-Thomas, Jon (2007-03-26). "Police consider charging chatroom users for inciting cyber suicide". The Australian. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21445333-2703,00.html. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ "No charges over 'suicide' on web". BBC News. 2007-05-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/shropshire/6695197.stm. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ^ "Net grief for online 'suicide'" BBC News, 4 February 2003.
- ^ "Florida teen kills self in front of live webcam"Reuters.com
