I find this very sad
A 23-year-old swim coach and substitute teacher committed suicide Saturday after he learned he'd be going to prison for 10-40 years because of sexual abuse against two ninth-grade girls. From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
According to court records, [Jeff] Anderson and the teens had begun a salacious online relationship via instant messaging and Facebook.com Web sites that soon turned physical.He had kissed both of the girls in a school classroom before arranging to meet with them at the home of one of the teens on a Saturday in April when the girl's parents were away. He had sexual contact with both of them there, court documents say.
While waiting for his sentence to begin, Anderson pulled an outdoor grill into his house and asphyxiated himself. He left a three-page suicide note. From the Inquirer:
In it, he acknowledged his loved ones' "unconditional love, even after the monster inside was revealed. But I cannot live with what I have done."
So many lives ruined.
Facing jail sentence, ex-teacher kills self
Comments
Tragic indeed, for all involved.
Posted by: Masale.Wallah | September 26, 2007 03:10 PM
My primary concern is for the victims who will probably blame themselves for coming forward in the first place (and likely will be accused of "causing" the suicide by some of their peers). All too frequently, victims get the blame in situations like this.
Posted by: Romeo Vitelli | September 26, 2007 05:54 PM
Yes, it is very sad. It's always sad when someone kills themself. But it's especially sad that he didn't have the courage to accept his punishment, live through his sentence, and (I hope) make amends to the children he hurt.
Posted by: Karla Fisk | September 26, 2007 08:48 PM
The girls did not cause his suicide and it won't be easy to help them realize that, in addition to feeling responsible for the sexual abuse.
When someone takes their life, it's not because of an event. When they are in that state, a pin dropping can become unbearable.
I think a more interesting observation and question would be whether he sought help before and what happened or why he didn't seek help. Did he call the suicide hotline - or isn't there one?
When I've noticed these types of stories, I've found that the person usually asked for help and they were turned away or it was woefully inadequate.
Posted by: aikanae | September 28, 2007 09:46 PM