NEWS: Man Arrested,Tried to Set Up Mass Valentines Day Suicide Pact Via E-Mail

An Oregon man, Gerald Krien was arrested yesterday and charged with solicitation to commit murder after authorities uncovered an elaborate internet and email plot which involved at least 32 individuals, all who planned to commit suicide on Valentine's Day.



While internet suicide pacts seems to have evolved from cult fiction into real life on more than one occasion and schemes were exposed in several Asian countries including Japan among teenagers to commit suicide, this story surprised me because of the official comments that a mother planned to kill her children with her. I can understand adult and teenagers feeling suicidal but it becomes almost Jim Jones-ish when adults want to take their children with them. It will be interesting to find out later what kind of persuasion Krien used to convince these individuals to join him.

Anyone willing to kill themselves, to end their life in a meaningless sacrifice to some guy they met on the internet, they should be granted that right by their society. If people are so hopeless and brain dead as to want to do a thing like that, it's probably for the good of the whole human species to allow it. I am all for fixing their problem, but their problem is the world we've created, and nobody seems willing or able to fix that. Don't trap a rat and expect it not to chew its leg off.

I see nothing wrong with suicide in general, and soliciting suicide seems to me to be a rather ludicrous way to spend your time, but hey, who am I to judge this guys hobby. If this guy or anyone else wants to try and make a living out of selling sand in the Sahara, be my guest. I was blessed with a healthy amount of skepticism, and if he had contacted me it would be amusing and nothing more. What's he really doing other than prompting someone else to make a choice?

If we allowed this sort of dupe-suicide solicitation to continue unchecked, we might find in a couple of generations, children are questioning the government more and demanding explanations to questions, thinking critically in general. We have just succesfully bred a helpful modicum of skepticism into our children, and without the need for the usual eugenics answer of mass murder. That sounds like a good thing to me. So at least in the long term this guy was probably doing a good thing for humanity.

I'm sure a lot of people disagree with me fundamentally, but I want to know what you think should be illegal about the victimless crime of suicide?

It amazed me the mentality of some people. Some will do anything when coerce enough.

That is how bush has been so successful into getting people to believe anything, just like that man in the INTERNET they are good at targeting the gullible and brain death.

I'd love to know what he said to convince them to go along with his idea as well, was he exploiting them? Apart from the mother who wanted to take her children with her I would've said let them get on with, we'll have a few less idiots in the world.

To be honest once it came to the final moment I suspect many would have pulled out of the pact anyway...

I said I understood the feelings of being suicidal, but I do think it is wrong to an extent. There are certain cases in which I think suicide is acceptable but in others (most) I don't.

btw suicide does has victims, it is not a victimless crime. The families are the victims, not the person committing the act.

You're right WW, there are certain cases in which I also think suicide is acceptable, although i seriously doubt any of these people had one of these reasons. If I hear it's because they don't have a loved one on Valentines Day I think I'll bang my head against the wall!

While I agree that there are indeed cases where suicide is justifiable, they are very few. The woman who agreed to murder her children - WTF is that. She should be brought up on premeditation if there is such a thing.

If a person believes they are better off dead, they are probably right, at least if the conditions they perceive to exist actually do. There are cases of a mentally ill person who lacks the perspective to see the world for what it really is, but that's a flaw in the programming of 99% of people. It's also brought on by city living and similar crowded, high stress, high stimuli situations. Stopping them from killing themselves doesn't solve the problem. Medication might subdue it, but is that a life worth living?

I think somebody who has a passion for suicide prevention, and suicide attempt recovery, should start a retreat in the woods somewhere. Let these troubled souls get back to nature, try and fill their heads with some perspective. I really think it's one of the few things you can do that will prove successful.

I too would love to know his pitch. If it's discovered, please do post.

Sometimes people wish to commit suicide, then they get mental
health help, and afterwards they are VERY glad that they didn't
commit suicide. The people who signed up may be bi-polar and
they could be in the depressive of the manic/depressive state.
Some meds and some time ... and they'd be happy and productive
people, very glad to be alive.

Update:
Police Say Oregon Man Had Been Soliciting Suicides for at Least Five Years

A man who used an Internet chat room to try to set up a mass suicide on Valentine's Day had been trying to persuade women for at least five years to engage in sex acts with him and then kill themselves, a sheriff said Sunday.
Gerald Krein is charged with solicitation to commit murder, and prosecutors are expected to add an attempted manslaughter charge Monday, said Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger.

Combing through old chat room records, investigators discovered that Krein had been trying to entice women across North America to commit suicide as far back as 2000, Evinger said. Krein told investigators he had been in touch with 31 women, authorities said.

Something is wrong here, he's been convincing others for 5 years!!! what was he waiting for? This guy was playing a game and living in fantasy world, he had no intentions to commit suicide or he would have done 5 years ago.

More of the details:
'Suicide Pact' Woman Thought It Was a Joke

As I read more about this, I wonder how many of these women were seriously considering going thru with this plan, it seems like so far only 5 women have come forward and so far non seems as if they were really going to kill themselves in this elaborate fantasy plan.

I saw this story this morning.
What could they possibly be charging this guy with?

No one showed up to die and he didn't even kill himself.

For all we know, the woman with the five kids was a 14 year old boy playing tricks on this sorry bastard.

But really, if someone talks you into going to their house for sex and suicide, using MSN messenger no less, than maybe it's not a crime but just evolution at work.

I'm interested if charges will be files or if we shall see a new scare report on the evening news, warning us to inform our children about online suicide parties.

The Value Of Reading The Article

Originally posted by LeftBehind
I saw this story this morning.
What could they possibly be charging this guy with?

From the source article:
Gerald Krien, 26, was arrested Wednesday and faces charges of solicitation to commit murder, according to Klamath County sheriff's deputies.

I hope that helps.

I read the article somewhere else, and they only talked about how some woman thought it was a joke.

But really, how are they going to prove "solicitation to commit murder"?

He wanted them to kill themselves, not kill other people.

And if it's a crime to talk about suicide or killing in instant messages then I'm going away for a long time.

Originally posted by worldwatcher
It will be interesting to find out later what kind of persuasion Krien used to convince these individuals to join him.

If you visit news groups such as alt.suicide.holiday or alt.suicide.methods, you will find many people who do not need any persuasion.

What gets me is until its determined that this guy was preying upon these people, why is he being charged? Would a murder charge help this indiviual any or be another reason to support their choice?