Crime Time

Texas student's suicide linked to concerns about immigration status

The family of a Texas teen who committed suicide said the Mission high school senior despaired that he would not get into college because he was in the country illegally, according to various news accounts. The family has said he was brought to the U.S. from Mexico when he was six months old. His suicide note apparently says he was despondent over his immigration status and lack of passage of the DREAM Act. However, Texas allows illegal immigrant students to attend state colleges and pay in-state tuition rates if they have lived here three years, graduate from a Texas high school, and work toward citizenship. A Texas TV station that interviewed the family of Joaquin Luna reports that the teen had good grades and wanted to be an engineer. -- Lois Norder

Medical examiner: McKinney gunman killed himself as officers neared

The Collin County medical examiner says that the gunman who set his pickup on fire outside the McKinney police department and then fired on officers killed himself as police closed in on him.

Patrick Gray Sharp, a 29-year-old Anna resident, died of a gunshot wound to the head and his death was ruled a suicide, the Associated Press reported.

-- Lance Murray

Ailing man buys own obit, then hangs himself near newspaper

Here's a really sad story from Placerville, Calif.

Police there said that an ailing man delivered his own obituary to the Mountain Democrat newspaper and then hanged himself from a nearby bridge, the Sacramento Bee reported.

The Democrat ran a part of the 64-year-old man's obit, which told of how he had struggled with emphysema.

"Yes, I have hanged myself (At least I hope I did)," he wrote in the obit, which included a $90 money order to pay for its publication when delivered.

-- Lance Murray

'Growing Pains' actor's body found in Vancouver park

Actor Andrew Koenig, best known for portraying "Boner" on the 1980s shot "Growing Pains," and for the being the son of orginal "Star Trek" cast member Walter Koenig, was found dead after having been missing for two weeks in Vancouver, Britich Columbia.

At a press conference, Walter Koenig said his 41-year-old son took his own life.

Andrew Koenig's body was found by a police search team on the "bridal path" in Stanley Park, one of the largest urban parks in North America, Fox News reported.

-- Lance Murray

Hanged census worker killed himself, authorities say

You may recall the story of the census worker whose nude body was found hanging Sept. 12 from a tree in Kentucky with the word "fed" written across his chest.

At the time, it appeared to be a homicide and the case made national headlines.

Authorities announced Tuesday that the census worker, Bill Sparkman, 51, killed himself and staged his suicide to look like a homicide. They said Sparkman, who had cancer, recently took out two life insurance policies that would not have paid in case of suicide.

-- Lance Murray

Police: Man who accidentally killed twin hangs himself

Authorities in Allentown, Pa., say that a man who accidentally killed his twin brother while parallel parking a minivan has killed himself.

Police said that Timothy Willgruber, 57, was drunk when he struck his brother, Thomas, last month and faced vehicular homicide and drunken driving charges.

Thomas Willgruber was guiding his brother into the spot when Timothy lost control and hit him, police said.

They said that Timothy Willgruber was found hanged in him home.

-- Lance Murray

A consuming grief: Mother kills self in pool where kids drowned

A woman was found dead earlier this week at the same swimming pool where her two children drowned less than a year ago committed suicide.

According to The Associated Press, Coppell police said Matthew Stocco pulled his wife, 35-year-old Van Ha Stocco, from the pool at their home Wednesday afternoon.

She killed herself three weeks before the first anniversary of the drowning deaths of 3-year-old Marcus Stocco and his 1-year-old sister Catherine Stocco on July 8.

-- Bill Miller

Crowd taunts suicidal teen until he jumps to death

Sometimes people act in horrible and unforgivable ways. Here's a great example:

A crowd in the British city of Derby taunted a suicidal teenager while he threatened to jump from a multistory parking garage, one even yelling "How far can you bounce?"

For about three hours police tried to talk him down while the crowd continue to jeer and yell at the trouble 17-year-old boy, Shaun Dykes. Eventually he jumped to his death.

You can read more about it, here at the Daily Mail's Web site.

-- Lance Murray

The solution to Richland Hills man's death was up in the air

The death of Thomas Hickman of Richland Hills (right) last winter in a New Mexico desert had police puzzled.

It appeared to be a murder. But was it? The clues led police to a conclusion straight out of Hollywood -- CSI, to be exact. Season Four, Episode 3. "Homebodies," if you're interesting in pulling out that DVD box set of Season Four.

In that episode the character Frank Maddox -- played by the great character actor M.C. Gainey -- dispatches himself in a particularly imaginative way. It's got something to do with balloons.

And it was balloons that led New Mexico investigators to a solution in the death of Thomas A. Hickman, 55, the Richland Hills businessman.

Read Staff Writer Candace Carlisle's report here.

-- Lance Murray

Woman indicted in connection with MySpace suicide case

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has indicted a Missouri woman for her alleged part in an online MySpace hoax that resulted in a 13-year-old girl committing suicide.

The woman, Lori Drew, of suburban St. Louis, faces one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to obtain information to inflict emotional distress, according to the indictments.

What is she accused of?

Drew is alleged to have created a false identity MySpace account to contact a neighbor, Megan Meier, who believed she was in contact with a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans. In October 2006 Meier hanged herself after she received cruel messages that included one that said the world be be a better place without her.

Drew had denied the allegations.

In the file photo, Tina Meier holds photographs of her daughter, Megan.

-- Lance Murray