Suicide

NYT Magazine, Seattle Edition

Civics 101: You Don't Have the Right to Starve Yourself to Death in Jail

Cutting Crew

Born out of tragedy, the Lawnmowers find solace in making music.

Peace is Hell, Cont.

Josh BarberIn late August, Army Sgt. Joshua Barber, 31, of Lacey, got in his pickup - a gift from his wife after he returned from Iraq - drove to the parking lot at Madigan Army Medical Center, and shot himself in the head with a revolver. Three weeks earlier he'd asked his wife, "Do you think that ... More >>

Oregon Reveals The Dilemmas of Dying

In the more than a decade since the Death with Dignity law was enacted in Oregon, several researchers have studied its effect intensively by interviewing people who want to kill themselves as well as their doctors and families. Oregon doctors Linda Ganzini and Susan Tolle have led the way in this re ... More >>

Why Is the Aurora Bridge Open to Potential Jumpers?

Is the political appeasement of non-motorists trumping the most effective means of suicide prevention?

Wristcutters: Death Is the New Aphrodisiac

Is the political appeasement of non-motorists trumping the most effective means of suicide prevention?

Epilogue to a Tragedy

There are lots of symptoms of disaffection but no apparent tipping point in Kyle Huff's Capitol Hill massacre.

Dead-End Jail

Deaths by suicide or other causes have increased in recent years at the King County Jail, but finding out why—or by how much—isn't easy.

Home Front Casualties

Murders and suicides by military personnel might be part of the Iraq war toll.

Unreported Jail Deaths

There have been two apparent suicides, one of which remains a mystery.

Mentality Challenged

An ignorant GOP state senator kills a popular bill that would have required insurers to cover mental-health treatment and counseling.

Letters to the Editor

"I can remember being a teenager and swallowing 15 aspirin . . . and all the while hearing from family and friends: 'Oh, stop being so dramatic!'"

One Suicide Too Many

Radio host Cynthia Doyon was one of 207 people in King County who took their own lives last year. It's time to recognize this is a virtual epidemic and do something about it.

Facing Our Losses

Here's one measure of the cost of fighting terrorism and liberating Iraq and Afghanistan: 395 with Washington state connections are dead.

The slot machine

Here's one measure of the cost of fighting terrorism and liberating Iraq and Afghanistan: 395 with Washington state connections are dead.

Disturbing Echo

A teen's suicide while in state custody prompts an independent review and a coroner's inquest.

News Clips— Changes due at Echo Glen?

A teen's suicide while in state custody prompts an independent review and a coroner's inquest.

An eerie echo

A teen dies while in state custody at Echo Glen Children's Center.

The dead

Inquests, Seattle Police Department, King County Sheriff and suburban police shootings and custody deaths, 1989-1999 (ALL JUSTIFIED)

Lord have mercy

If you're looking for a brilliant exploration of assisted suicide, look elsewhere.

Fugitive Gomez Got a Long Head Start

Whatever murder-case fugitive Kino Gomez decided to do - kill himself or flee to another jurisdiction - he likely did it two weeks ago, authorities now think. He mailed his apparent suicide letter on Sept. 4, indicating he was on a "one-way trip" to the mountains with two of his 15 guns, intent on t ... More >>

Cover Story: Buddy Count

A Fort Lewis court-martial will determine the fate of an allegedly murderous Army sergeant, whose case may help explain the surge in non-combat deaths.

Samantha Kuberski, Six-Years-Old, Youngest Suicide Victim in State History

Does a kid this young really understand what it means to kill themselves?​Six-year-old Samantha Kuberski was a happy kid who did well at school. Which is why tragedy was compounded by shock back in January, when medical examiners in Yamhill County, south of Portland, declared Samantha's death ... More >>

Allen Myron, Deputy Who Killed In-Laws, Attempted Suicide in December

Myron had reportedly talked about killing himself for months.​The running line coming from last week's tragedy, wherein Pierce County Deputy Allen Myron killed his in-laws before turning the gun on himself, was a familiar one: "No one could have seen this coming." But days after the shootings ... More >>

Quit Feeling Guilty About Buying an iPad

If it wasn't for our insatiable hunger for new gadgets, these people might have to work even crappier jobs. Like farming.​So far this year, 10 workers at Foxconn -- a Chinese electronics factory that makes the iPad -- have committed suicide. Many more have tried to killed themselves but failed ... More >>

A Straightjacket Built for Two

If it wasn't for our insatiable hunger for new gadgets, these people might have to work even crappier jobs. Like farming.​So far this year, 10 workers at Foxconn -- a Chinese electronics factory that makes the iPad -- have committed suicide. Many more have tried to killed themselves but failed ... More >>

Slipping Out of Darkness

Three years after the U.S. Justice Department demanded changes at the King County jail, some dangerous conditions remain.

Michael Kniezewski's Friend Says He Wasn't Suicidal

​If you believe the man who admits to killing him, Michael Kniezewski was depressed and wanted to end his life. The 21-year-old from Pennsylvania was found strangled to death last week. The man who says he committed the murder, Joshua Stattman, 32, says he did nothing more than help out a frie ... More >>

Benefit for the Youth Suicide Prevention Program with Victor Shade

​If you believe the man who admits to killing him, Michael Kniezewski was depressed and wanted to end his life. The 21-year-old from Pennsylvania was found strangled to death last week. The man who says he committed the murder, Joshua Stattman, 32, says he did nothing more than help out a frie ... More >>

Derrick Kirkland, Iraq War Veteran, Hung Himself After Being Mocked by Superiors, Say Lewis-McChord Soldiers

​With countless soldiers suffering from PTSD and an ever increasing number of suicides on its hands, the military has been saying for years that it's going to take mental health care more seriously. Yet, according to a group of soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, officers are still belittlin ... More >>

PTSD Soldier: a "Coward"?

Soldiers at Lewis-McChord say the disorder is still not being taken seriously--and led to another suicide.

Vatel v. Loiseau: Whose Suicide Was More Justifiable?

Bernard Loiseau sez: "This is how many times Vatel stabbed himself! I wish I could be as hard- core. I'll never be as good as him!"​French cuisine is famous for its rigorous adherence to form and a dogma so strict it makes Catholic doctrine look like a food fight at a 3-year- old's birthday pa ... More >>

Robert J. Kilborn, Hayden Man, Stopped for Routine Traffic Violation, Shoots Himself in Face With Shotgun

​It's impossible to know everything that was going on in Robert J. Kilborn's life when he shot himself in the face with a shotgun during a traffic stop on Thursday.

Derrick Kirkland, Soldier Who Hung Himself, Was Deemed a "Low-Moderate Risk" After Attempting Suicide Three Times Before

​A couple months ago, we wrote about Army Spc. Derrick Kirkland, who hung himself last March after coming back from Iraq. A group of soldiers in his battalion claimed that Kirkland's suicide followed taunting from his sergeant, prompting a statement by a Joint Base Lewis-McChord spokesperson t ... More >>

Could the Army Have Prevented Derrick Kirkland's Suicide?

His mom sure thinks so.

Melvin Alephus Gillespie of Spokane Charged with "Promoting Suicide" of Friend

William P. Pickard​Did you know that aiding someone's attempt to commit suicide is a felony? It's true! Just ask Melvin Alephus Gillespie. He's in jail for it.

The Woodmans: True Believers in the Church of Art

William P. Pickard​Did you know that aiding someone's attempt to commit suicide is a felony? It's true! Just ask Melvin Alephus Gillespie. He's in jail for it.

Ryan Robertson, Arnold Sharkey, Christopher Goldner: Jail Inmates 'Slumped' to Their Deaths

Sharkey.​Despite the oversight of the Justice Department and a new emphasis on preventing suicides in the King County Jail, it seems there is no way to stop inmates determined to take their own lives, judging by newly released records on the death of three prisoners who killed themselves in a ... More >>

King County's 'Dangerous' Jail Cells: U.S. Finds Hazards that Enabled Repeated Inmate Suicides

​King County reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice more than two years ago to prevent inmate deaths and improve unhealthy living conditions in the aging downtown jail. Yet the suicides have continued at the Fifth Avenue lockup and now U.S. officials have found what they desc ... More >>

How to Kill Yourself With a Suicide Kit

​UPDATE: The Oregon State House of Representatives today voted to outlaw most forms of assisted suicide. This includes a ban on the so-called "suicide kits" available through the GLADD Group. Oregonians with an unshakable desire to end their lives are therefore encouraged to seek out more tra ... More >>

Comment of the Week: Suicide Is a "God-Given Right"

​This week Keegan Hamilton brought you the story of Richard Luckett, a 44-year-old Tumwater man who was getting set to plead guilty to two separate counts of child molestation. That was, however, until he put a plastic bag over his head, piped some helium in, and died--the latest person to use ... More >>

UW's Reggie Rogers, Nine Ex-Seahawks Players, Sue NFL for Concealing Effects of Brain Injuries

Rogers, 47​To those who read the news, Reggie Rogers' problem has been alcohol - including at least six drunk-driving arrests resulting in two prison terms, one the consequence of an auto accident that left three teens dead. Now the former University of Washington defensive end, drafted by the ... More >>

Reggie Rogers' NFL Lawsuit

A former Husky star and a full roster of ex-players sue the league over concussions.

Scott Hamrick, Firefighter and Alleged Child Molester, Kills Himself Before Arrest

​Before Scott Hamrick killed himself in a horse trailer, he wrote a note that said he was "afraid he would be going to prison." From the sound of the investigation that drove him to commit suicide, Hamrick was probably right.

Wounded Warriors Get $53 Million Barracks, But that Won't Help Soldiers Who Can't Get In

​Joint Base Lewis-McChord held a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday for a $53 million barracks that will house wounded soldiers. The facility, part of the base's "Warrior Transition Battalion," features wood floors and barbeque grills, and was hailed by U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks as a sign of "signi ... More >>

Anti-War Activists Call for Congressional Investigation into the "Most Troubled Base in the Military"

​Is Joint Base Lewis-McChord "the most troubled base in the military?" Stars and Stripes, the newspaper run by the military, wrote last winter that the base had developed that reputation. The article pointed to a bunch of scandals including the Afghan "kill team" comprised of soldiers from th ... More >>

Washington Ranked Seventh Most Suicidal State in the Country

​Thought about killing yourself lately? If so, could you make a note of it? Inquiring minds want to know.

Rebecca Zahau Suicide Case Reopening Sought by Seattle Attorney Anne Bremner (Updated)

Zahau​Update: Sheriff threatens to publicly release sensitive Zahau case files if Bremner and the Zahau family falsely portray investigation. Details below. To the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, the investigation into the strange deatlh of Rebecca Zahau is over: she did it. The 32-year- ... More >>

Jared Hagemann Investigation Reveals Suicide Note and PTSD Diagnosis Kept from Commanders

​Staff Sargent Jared Hagemann left a suicide note. That's one revelation in the findings from the military's investigation into his death, obtained by Seattle Weekly through the Freedom of Information Act. While the note suggests his problems were highly personal, the findings also convey sur ... More >>