Teenager Abraham K. Biggs Commits Suicide on Live Webcam

He said he would do it. And he did. Abraham K. Biggs, a 19-year-old Florida bodybuilder, took some sleeping pills on live webcam, lay down and went to sleep. Just like he said he would.

But the teenager never intended to wake up. And he didn't.

While others watched. And others turned away. And still others encouraged and taunted him.

Abraham K. Biggs, known online as "CandyJunkie" and "Mr. Biggs," told fellow users in an online bodybuilding forum on Justin.tv - a lifecasting website, where users share via webcam their everyday lives - that he would be committing suicide and invited them to tune in.

Some users saw Biggs take what looked like sleeping pills, lay down on his bed with his back to the camera, and stop moving. After a few hours, some worried that he may have actually went through with his threat because of the stillness of his body. Authorities were notified and police entered the room -- live on webcam. After checking for a pulse, they covered the webcam.

Abraham K. Biggs has been reportedly pronounced dead by a Broward Country medical examiner.

Biggs posted on MySpace that he was going to commit suicide three days before he actually went through with it. A post from a week before related how he had closed a chapter in his life and was apologetic to friends for his recent behavior.

It is alleged that some users have deleted their posts from the forum. In light of the ongoing court case involving the suicide of 13-year-old Megan Meier as a result of alleged cyberbullying from neighbor Lori Drew, users fear that they may in some way be held responsible are well grounded.

Testimony in the Meier case began Wednesday (November 19) in Los Angeles, although the suicide took place in Missouri. The alleged bullying took place on MySpace, where 49-year-old Lori Drew created the MySpace account of "Josh Evans" to allegedly ridicule and harass teenager Megan Meier. MySpace's corporate offices are located in Los Angeles.

Last year, 42-year-old Kevin Whitrick of Wellington, England, hanged himself on live webcam while onlookers encouraged him. Many thought it was a hoax but by the time authoirities arrived to investigate, the man was already dead. Whitlick's suicide is believed to be the first of its kind in Britain.

Live suicides are rare, but they do have a history. From Buddhist monks engaged in self-immolation to the nationally televised shooting suicide of R. Budd Dwyer, a prominent Pennsylvania politician, in 1987, some have sought an audience for their last act as a living being.

Justin.tv CEO Michael Seibel told NewTeeVee.com: "As for the broadcaster incident last night, we don't comment on individual videos, however, our policy prohibits inappropriate content on Justin.tv." He went on to say, "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."

What some might find noteworthy about Seibel's statement is its over-reliance on policy to address the suicide and, its total lack of empathy for Abraham K. Biggs, a client and fellow human being. Seibel seems to relegate the streamcast of the suicide to product status, something that can be judged as appropriate or inappropriate according to whether or not it conforms to a predetermined set of standards for use by both his company and the company's clients, the users. But, then, Seibel, like his clients and users allegedly deleting posted material from the bodybuilding forum on Justin.tv, may simply be protecting himself against a potential lawsuit.

Many worry about the effects such incidents might have on watchers, especially younger users. Although disturbing, the observer has the benefit of distance. "Distancing" is a psychological buffer that allows for the denial of the effects of a particular action, such as visually guiding in a smart bomb by remote, firing mortars or howitzers at faraway targets, or watching live coverage of a tragic event like Hurricane Katrina. Abraham K. Biggs' suicide will be dealt with by many through mentally distancing themselves from the reality of the occurrence.

Some wonder what can be done to safeguard against such disconcerting situations. In cases like that of Biggs, without a real time monitor, there is almost nothing that can be done with a livestream broadcast. However, the fact that a young man was in some dire mental straits, openly announced he was contemplating suicide, and was virtually ignored by friends, family, and online acquaintances, speaks volumes to the distance that people have already placed between themselves and other human beings.

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Sources:

News.com.au

Newser.com

Francesfarmersrevenge.com