Teen commits suicide live on webcam on bodybuilding.com

[El Freako]

http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,24684860-5014239,00.html

A TEENAGER has apparently committed suicide in front of a live webcam after being encouraged by people online.

19-year-old Florida resident Abraham K. Biggs, who went by the screen names "CandyJunkie" and “Mr Biggs”, told users on a bodybuilding forum he would be committing suicide that night and invited them to watch the live video.

The forum moderators allegedly ignored the post – assuming it was a prank – while other users posted insults and even egged him on.

The teen used the "lifecasting" website Justin.tv – designed to let users share the minutiae of their everyday lives – to stream footage from his bedroom.

Biggs was seen taking several pills before lying on the bed with his back to the camera.

He didn't move, and users claim they realised it was serious a few hours later when they saw he wasn't breathing. Moderators then traced Biggs's location and informed authorities.

The webcam was still streaming live footage of the teen's body as police entered the room. A laser-guided weapon was pointed at the body and an object was thrown at the bed.

Authorities then appeared on the video as they approached the teen's body, checked for a pulse, and covered up the webcam.

Biggs’s death was reportedly confirmed by the Broward County medical examiner.

Justin.tv chief executive officer Michael Seibel told online video news website NewTeeVee.com the service relied on users to report inappropriate content.

"As for the broadcaster incident last night, we don’t comment on individual videos, however, our policy prohibits inappropriate content on Justin.tv," he said.

"We rely on the community to flag videos that they feel are objectionable. Once a video is flagged, it is reviewed and quickly removed from the system if it violates our Terms of Use."

Some forum users allegedly began deleting their posts after the incident and an official thread – including Biggs' full name – was posted by moderators.

Biggs's friends have posted "RIP" messages on his MySpace page, with some still asking him to pick up his phone, and others changing their statuses to "devastated".

The teen described himself as a "good hearted guy" on his social networking profile.

"I care a lot about my friends and my family and I would do almost anything for them," he said.

"I am very goal oriented, I know what I want to do with my life and I am working towards it."

Biggs last posted on MySpace three days before he committed suicide in a wall post about taking sleeping pills. A week ago he left a message about closing a chapter in his life and apologised to his friends for his behaviour.

The circumstances of the teen's suicide are similar to another incident last year, when a man hung himself in front of a live webcam as internet users egged him on.

Also, this article mentions that it was BB.com...
http://www.inquisitr.com/9117/teen-commits-suicide-live-on-justintv/

Abraham K. Biggs, 19 from Florida committed suicide live on Justin.tv Wednesday after being encouraged by viewers to do so.

The story as best we can follow it is that Biggs threatened to overdose on pills live on Justin.tv on a bodybuilding forum at bodybuilding.com. According to eyewitness reports, moderators didn’t believe him, and other users either on bodybuilding.com, Justin.tv or both egged him on to do it. Biggs, known as “candyjunkie” then posted a suicide note (copy here), downed a pile of pills then “went to sleep” all on camera. According to a report here, “he breathes for a few hours, people think he’s going to be alright and keep joking and trash talking him on Justin.tv”. Some time later people realize he was not moving, someone tracks down his details, calls police and paramedics, who then broke into his house to come to his aid…with that all being streamed live as well.

NewTeeVee has confirmed Biggs’ death with the Broward County medical examiner.

The story is infinitely sad, and made worse by others having egged him on to do it, but this statement from Justin.tv CEO Michael Seibel doesn’t help things:

As for the broadcaster incident last night, we don’t comment on individual videos, however, our policy prohibits inappropriate content on Justin.tv. We rely on the community to flag videos that they feel are objectionable. Once a video is flagged, it is reviewed and quickly removed from the system if it violates our Terms of Use.

I understand they are concerned about the legal angle of what has happened, but to not at least express sympathy for the family, the kid, or even for what has gone on isn’t going to win them any fans.

Video of police entering the room

WTF?
BB.com is down as we speak, not surprisingly.

 

[DriDDeRz]

far out..... R.I.P Abraham K. Biggs

 

[Hypocrisy86]

you push someones buttons, the buttons that shouldn't be pushed, they will do anything.

 

[El Freako]

Mods want to move this to the news section? My mistake putting it in the wrong section.

 

[Big VIC]

Thats nutz R.I.P.

 

[Tech]

I saw something about this on 4chan. I watched the video. Apparently he was laying there for several hours without moving, then you can see a police officer come in and a paramedic walk up to him.

fuckin awesome.

 

[Hypocrisy86]

I saw something about this on 4chan. I watched the video. Apparently he was laying there for several hours without moving, then you can see a police officer come in and a paramedic walk up to him.

fuckin awesome.

were you also one of the other members on those sites egging him to commit suicide? ?

 

[El Freako]

I'm trawling trying to find some way of seeing the thread...

 

[Tech]

were you also one of the other members on those sites egging him to commit suicide? ?

I haven't been on bb.com in years.

edit: but if I still was a member there, I'd be cheering for him to kill himself.

 

[Tech]

link to the end of the video.

http://www.livevideo.com/video/F29B145FA9F149DA8DEB6469B297D9D2/candyjunkie-vid.aspx

 

[Hypocrisy86]

I haven't been on bb.com in years.

edit: but if I still was a member there, I'd be cheering for him to kill himself.

i think mom and dad should have kept you in the cage

 

[TJ]

i think mom and dad should have kept you in the cage

In all honesty, the worlds a better place without people like this.

And he said he would never do anything to hurt his friends or family?

 

[El Freako]

BB.com should kill itself.

 

[theweapon]

i live in broward county

 

[Hypocrisy86]

In all honesty, the worlds a better place without people like this.

And he said he would never do anything to hurt his friends or family?

I honestly believe you and the other intelligences here are losing their minds.

Edit: "spits on your face"

 

[Tech]

it's the fuckin internet. I've told people to kill themselves many times.

I only wished this stuff happened back when I was an active member. Apparently the Misc. section at BB.com has gotten pretty crazy. (obviously)

 

[El Freako]

it's the fuckin internet. I've told people to kill themselves many times.

I only wished this stuff happened back when I was an active member. Apparently the Misc. section at BB.com has gotten pretty crazy. (obviously)

I look in every few weeks or so just to check for news. The misc section is bizarro-world. Best avoided if you wish to keep your sanity.

 

[Banshee20]

I wish he would have called a friend in person to talk about what he was thinking of doing instead of chatting with people on the internet.

Very sad. Nothing could be that bad.

 

[TJ]

I honestly believe you and the other intelligences here are losing their minds.

Edit: "spits on your face"

Anyone who commits suicide, unless they have a mental disorder, is a pussy who is seeking attention. I don't care if people are "egging" a person on because the decision is still theirs and it's their life to end. Everyone has times in their life that are rough and seem like they will never end but you have these pricks that think, "No one has it like me" and they choose to end their life. How can someone who supposedly loves their friends and family do something like this that will hurt, especially their family, more so than anything else in the world?

 

[Hypocrisy86]

it's the fuckin internet. I've told people to kill themselves many times.

I only wished this stuff happened back when I was an active member. Apparently the Misc. section at BB.com has gotten pretty crazy. (obviously)

Its the fucking internet with REAL people.
not BOTS. people typing, not some programmed bot saying shit
or spamming your inbox TECH.