Suicide Prompts Uproar Over Cyber-Insults in S. Korea

Philip Markoff strapped into the latest anti-suicide jail fashion

(NEWSER) - Ever since he apparently tried to hang himself last week with his shoelaces, accused Craigslist killer Philip Markoff has been strapped into a padded restraint suit in jail designed to stop further attempts, reports Gawker. The "Ferguson Safety Smock" is aimed at keeping "problem inmates from hurting themselves and creating more headaches for you and your colleagues," the Ferguson company web site informs law enforcement and mental health authorities. More»

Prosecutor pressing for internet harassment laws

(NEWSER) - No charges will be filed in the cyberbullying case that led a young girl to commit suicide, Wired reports. A Missouri prosecutor found there was not enough evidence to prove criminal intent on the part of mother Lori Drew and others who launched an online bullying campaign against 13-year-old Megan Meier through a hoax MySpace persona called "Josh." More»

Claudia Boerner, 32, found dead after TV show appearance sparks attacks

(NEWSER) - Internet haters apparently helped drive a German model to suicide when they attacked her appearance. Claudia Boerner, 32, was found dead in her home after neighbors reported a strong smell of gas. Her death followed a flood of Internet and email attacks following a guest stint on a German cooking show, the Perfect Dinner, reports the Daily Mail. Bloggers sniped about her fake breasts and slammed her for being an exhibitionistic attention seeker. A message on the program's website said producers were "surprised and shocked at the news. She struck us as a friendly, open-minded young woman," the statement added. More»

Tyler Clementi's roommate gives his side of the story

(NEWSER) - Dharun Ravi says he did something a lot of college kids do: He unthinkingly pranked an awkward, less-cool roommate. But that prank was spying on a homosexual hookup via webcam, that roommate was Tyler Clementi, and Ravi has a hate-crime conviction to show for what he says was a moment of teenage stupidity. Ravi sits down with the Star-Ledger to give his side of the story in a surprisingly sympathetic interview. Highlights:

• On what he was thinking: "I wasn’t. I got caught up in what I thought was funny, and my own ego. I never really thought about what it would mean to Tyler. I know that’s wrong, but that’s the truth."
• On not taking a plea deal: "I’m never going to regret not taking the plea. I would have had to testify that I did what I did to intimidate Tyler and that would be a lie. I won’t ever get up there and tell the world I hated Tyler because he was gay, or tell the world I was trying to hurt or intimidate him because it’s not true."

Robert King found dead with his girls in his Virginia home

(NEWSER) - A Virginia man in the middle of a custody battle for his 3-year-old twin daughters funneled carbon monoxide into his suburban Richmond house and cut the throats of his girls and himself. Police aren't certain yet whether the gas or the cuts killed the three. The twins' mother called deputies, and was found sobbing on her knees in the driveway. "My babies are dead," she told officers. Before they could enter, deputies had to first break windows to ventilate the house, which was filled with fumes from a flexible tube Robert King, 40, had attached to the exhaust pipe of his car. He placed the other end of the tube in the bedroom where the three bodies were found. More»