nairiporter | We lived to witness a cyber suicide

Shocking: Teen Streams Webcam Suicide As Viewers Encourage Him
http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Shocking_Teen_Streams_Webcam_Suicide_As_Viewers_Encourage_Him_29635.html

Shocking news in the Web community, following the death of a Florida teenager who used a webcam to live stream his suicide video and share it with the world. The police arrived too late at the apartment, only to find 19-year-old Abraham Biggs dead of a drug overdose.

Even more shocking news comes from the reaction of the viewers, some of which actually encouraged him to do it. Other viewers tried to talk him out if it, but with no success. The website that hosted the ordeal, Justin.tv, allows views to post live comments alongside a video.

The victim had reportedly posted a suicide note on forums, saying he hates himself and he hates life, but the note had been taken down. He also wrote that he had thought about and attempted suicide in the past “many times.”

Although this is not the first case of the kind, the reactions of the people watching the live stream video are incredible. Many of them watched for hours how the troubled young man was preparing for his death, and had nothing to say but encouragement words.

Biggs’ family was outraged by this. According to his sister, viewers watched for 12 long hours: “they got hits, they got views, nothing happened for hours.”

According to police investigators, Biggs suffered from bipolar disorder, and committed suicide with an overdose of opiates and benzodiazepine, which he had been prescribed for his condition.

This is not the first case of the kind, after a Florida man streamed a video as he shot himself in the head. Last year, a 42-year-old British man committed suicide in front of the webcam by hanging himself with a rope.