7/12--Ira Einhorn's Attempted Suicide
 

http://www.kyw1060.com/news_story_de...wsitemid=14885

This is taken from Philadelphia's KYW Newsradio. Look towards the bottom of the page.

The picture in question is that of Ira Einhorn. For those of you not familiar, Einhorn was an anti-war activist here in Philadelphia in the 1970s. In 1977, the body of his girlfriend, Holly Maddux, was found dead in a trunk in the apartment that the two shared. Einhorn skipped town in 1981 during the trial (I believe this is correct) and has been on the run since. He was found living in France in 1997 and has been fighting extradition to the US since. France had concerns about returning him b/c he had been convicted of murder in absentia in 1993 and b/c the US uses the death penalty. However, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed a law a few years ago that would give those convicted in absentia a new trial when they are caught. In addition, the law from 1977 would apply, and at that time, Pennsylvania did not use the death penalty. Shortly after his final appeal in France had been exhausted, he attempted to slash his neck and arms. He is now currently appealing to the European Court of Human Rights, and the prosecutor from France has agreed to delay the extradition one week. As one reporter has mentioned, it is odd that he is going this route, because his case is now against the country of France, as opposed to the US.

The man has apparently went from country to country over the years to avoid prosecution. I'm not sure if he is really guilty or not, but if he is NOT guilty, why flee the US and then try to kill himself? He has apparently said that it is a government conspiracy against him.

I think these are the pictures:

http://www.kyw1060.com/images/temp/ira_a_l.jpg

http://www.kyw1060.com/images/temp/ira_b_l.jpg

http://www.kyw1060.com/images/temp/ira_c_l.jpg

I couldn't find anything bigger...

That was a pretty lame suicide attempt, IMO. :p

Btw: What he's holding is a pocket camera. Don't ask me why.

Yep, that's them...didn't want to link them directly from KYW though.

Actually, if you go back to the website, and listen to the audio file there, the camera will make perfect sense...at least for him...heh.

grrrr this is annoying. YOU DO NOT ATTEMPT SUICIDE. You eihter do or you don't. If you really want to die, its not fucking hard. Pills, knives, guns, gas, tall buildings, run in front of a semi, drink a poison, the lsit goes on and on. Its attention grabbing, often a cry for a help, i have friends who have 'attempted suicide' in one case a (female) firend of miine who was sexually abused as a child has on many occasions swallowed enough painkillers to kill a horse, only to throw them back up later.

But holdinger a camera at the time?
thats just so fucking stupid/lame its not funny.

My fiance and I kept laughing about it b/c it was so ludicrious.

He cuts himself up, talks to the press, then gets in the ambulance...and practically insults Jospin...and it's not like the French aren't insulted enough already. ;) On top of that, he entered the country illegally in the first place.

Although this didn't make a lot of waves in the national press, Philadelphia has been the focus of quite a bit of attention lately. To recall:

--Mumia Abu-Jamal
--2 of the worst traffic intersections in the country (and in my 'hood no less)
--Ira Einhorn
--Marie Noe
--The 4th of July celebration being on national television

Well, at least it's not all bad...

This whole situation with Ira Einhorn fascinates me to a degree, mainly because this guy has fought so hard over the past 25 years to evade the US justice system. Yet, in the past 2 weeks, he has essentially become a butt of jokes.

This is from the BBC. Also of note, click on the story from '99 that is to the right of the main story. I generally enjoy reading BBC News. I like to see how stories based here in the States are reported from the other side of the pond.

was watching CNN at lunch and apparently he is to be extradited to the US.

Pretty soon he's going to be wishing he did the suicide thing for real.

Just an itty-bitty technical detail ...

One CAN attempt suicide.

One can also make a suicide gesture ... or have suicidal ideation ...

However,

just to keep things professional ... when somebody does it "right" (uses the "across to the hospital, down to the morgue" instructions for a wrist-slitting, for example) we call it a "completed" suicide, not a "successful" one ...

Looks like he got convicted of killing Holly Maddux yesterday.

Yep. Apparently it took less time to convict him this time around than when he was tried in absentia 9 years ago.

I was surprised when several of the jurors came forward right after the verdict, even giving their names. To me, that said, "Ira Einhorn, you are a fucking moron if you thought we would fall for that babble of yours."

Furthermore, don't try and use some lame-o defense like "I knew about the government's psychic warfare...it's all a c-o-n-spiracy." Especially right now. It only makes you look like a true-blue crackwhore.

So, syc, what's with the sudden obsession with crack?
 

Must be a Philly thing, I dunno...

<img src="http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/02/21/inv.liberty.bell.threat/story.liberty.bell.jpg">

Let us not bullshit each other my friend...I have observed many people on crack over the years. Crack-smoking knows no state lines. :)

May I digress? As a Brit living in the US, and one who loves the differences in meaning attributed to words on each side of the pond, I wondered how many British readers like myself pictured this guy throwing himself in front of a house (semi-detached...one of two houses connected to each other).

Heavy a house may be, yes, but he would have suffered a slow death, probably from starvation as he waited for it to hit him, using this method in England.

Having set out on this train of thought, I pondered the fact that here in the US you actually move a whole houses on the back of a truck sometimes.

Then the mental image of someone being hit by a semi carrying a semi hit my, admittedly small, brain and I nearly fell off the seat laughing.

In my own defence I must state that I am, at this moment, very, very drunk!