
Autopsy reveals Debian founder committed suicide - peterkshultz
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/07/07/ian_murdock_autopsy/
======
ChristianBundy
I'm surprised the article didn't mention it, but check out the last page of
the autopsy. They found chlordiazepoxide, diazepam, temazepam, and oxazepam in
his bloodstream, which could have had some terrible interactions with alcohol.
This sounds more to me like a drug overdose that caused a psychological
episode than just the alcohol-fueled suicide they make it out to be. Very
strange.

~~~
madaxe_again
"incoherent", "claiming to have been beaten up by police"

[http://archive.is/vBS6N](http://archive.is/vBS6N)

I wouldn't call those incoherent - I'd call them distressed and angry at
having been beaten up by the police. They say he hit his head on the cage
separator - which is a classic cop write-up for after they've roughed you up.

~~~
dpark
They're pretty incoherent. His retelling has a really jumbled timeline. Part
of that might be missing context if he was replying to other tweets but they
aren't linked. The ones that are linked don't look much better, though. His
tweets to @jackstormwriter don't make much sense unless the archive somehow
lost most of the ones from @jackstormwriter.

He also claimed that the police assaulted him at his own home, while reports
indicate that he was not at his own home and was basically trying to break
down the door, hence why the police were called. It seems likely he had a
psychotic episode. This whole thing is tragic but I'm not sure it indicates
abusive behavior from the police.

~~~
shanemhansen
> while reports indicate

Call me cynical, but I've passed the point where I assume that an american
police report is anything but the most convenient story.

I'm well aware that most police departments only have a few bad apples. But
the problem is instead of throwing the bad apples out, they are protected and
left to rot the remaining bunch.

~~~
dpark
Not just police reports. No one so far as I'm aware, aside from Murdock
himself, has put forth evidence of anything that disputes the police's claims.
No news reports have uncovered a scandal or evidence of wrongdoing that I've
seen.

------
mysterypie
The suicide is tragic. However, no one seems to have investigated the police
beatings he alleges he received the day before he died: "They beat the shit
out of me twice," he says.

Just look at the autopsy report under "BLUNT FORCE INJURIES" for all the
bruises:

[https://regmedia.co.uk/2016/07/07/ian_murdock.pdf#page=10](https://regmedia.co.uk/2016/07/07/ian_murdock.pdf#page=10)

The autopsy reports alcohol and sedative drugs, and friends and family report
that he was breaking up with his girlfriend, facing eviction, and other
distressing things. Does that make it likely that he'd make false accusations
against the police? I don't think so.

~~~
gnoway
From the article:

"Two days earlier, at 11.30pm on December 26, Murdock was arrested after
drunkenly banging on a neighbor's front door with such force it was as if he
were trying to break inside. He reportedly fought with cops when they showed
up, and was ticketed for resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. He was
taken to hospital after banging his head on the inside of the police car he
was being held in.

Just a few hours later, at 2.40am on December 27, Murdock left the hospital
and went back to the neighbor's home to bang on the door again."

I assumed the police beating was administered as he was drunk and resisting
arrest.

~~~
digler999
or his injuries were self-inflicted from having a psychotic breakdown ?

------
moondev
Tragic end to such an influential person.

A few months back I was researching debian and found out that the name comes
from a combination of Ian and Deb, his then girlfriend. I obviously never knew
him personally but his legacy will live on.

~~~
cmdrfred
Especially with stuff like Raspbian, so many future programmers will be
exposed to his work.

------
downandout
_A neighbor told the city 's investigators that Murdock had just split up with
his girlfriend and was facing eviction_

How is someone so well known in the software industry so hard up for money
that they are facing eviction? Far lesser engineers than he have never had
problems earning enough money to get by. The whole thing is very sad, and
clearly money wasn't his only problem, but it's one issue that someone with
his resume shouldn't have been facing.

~~~
Tomte
There are other reasons to get evicted besides not paying rent. We don't know
why the landlord wanted him out.

~~~
mywittyname
Pissing off the neighbors could have something to do with it.

I mean, what are the chances this is the first time he's acted crazy?

------
DanBC
If you're worried that someone you know might be suicidal there's a free app
(Apple and Google Play) that should be helpful.

It's for the UK, but most of the advice is transferable to other countries.

They're in the process of getting more academic review.

[http://www.prevent-
suicide.org.uk/stay_alive_suicide_prevent...](http://www.prevent-
suicide.org.uk/stay_alive_suicide_prevention_mobile_phone_application.html)

------
gmarx
Does anyone know if there is a relationship between Aspergers/Autism spectrum
and suicide? I know one person who I think is on the spectrum, doesn't know
it, and suffers serious depression at least in part due to her lack of social
success.

~~~
DanBC
Yes, there's a correlation between ASD and both attempted suicide and
completed suicide. That might be because of the increased risk of depression
in ASD, or the increased risk of physical health problems, or it might be
something about the ASD itself that makes it harder for people to get help.
The numbers are surprisingly hard to find, and other diagnoses are probably
higher in the list.

Here's good quality information with a focus on those people who were "known
to services":
[http://www.bbmh.manchester.ac.uk/cmhs/research/centreforsuic...](http://www.bbmh.manchester.ac.uk/cmhs/research/centreforsuicideprevention/nci/reports/NCISHReport2015bookmarked2.pdf)

Here's recent data for young people.
[http://www.bbmh.manchester.ac.uk/cmhs/research/centreforsuic...](http://www.bbmh.manchester.ac.uk/cmhs/research/centreforsuicideprevention/nci/reports/cyp_report.pdf)

Here's some great information about different areas of the UK (this one is for
suicide, but there's a bunch of other stuff there)
[http://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile-group/mental-
health/pro...](http://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile-group/mental-
health/profile/suicide)

Here's the Office for National Statistics data sets:

[http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdea...](http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2014registrations)

(Be careful with these. Sometimes people counting "death by suicide" use a
different definition for suicide.)

~~~
gmarx
Thanks!

------
lllorddino
Autopsy?? The article clearly states the police found him with a cable around
his neck.

