Suicides of suspects may be trend in animal cases
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 2010:
MISSOULA–A coroner’s jury on April 16, 2010 ruled that
accused cat torturer Gary Lee Bassett, 63, shot himself on February
4, 2010, seconds after Missoula police with a warrant for his
arrest on felony charges kicked his door open.
Bassett was among four animal cruelty and neglect suspects
who were found to have shot themselves in February 2010, while
accused in cases that provoked community outrage. Criminal suspects
in cases that bring strong public shame have long been known to be at
steeply elevated risk of suicide. Crimes against animals have
usually not been associated with suicide, but the flurry of recent
cases suggest that this may be changing.