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Teen Commits Suicide Live on Justin.tv Website
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by Jarrett Martineau | November 20, 2008 at 05:42 pm
17533 views | 15 Recommendations | 36 comments
This story is both shocking and heartbreaking.
Abraham K. Biggs, a Florida teenager, committed suicide on the live video streaming website Justin.tv — and the site's viewers encouraged him do it.
Why didn't site users help prevent this tragedy?
Abraham K. Biggs, 19 from Florida committed suicide live on Justin.tv Wednesday after being encouraged by viewers to do so.The story as best we can follow it is that Biggs threatened to overdose on pills live on Justin.tv on a bodybuilding forum at bodybuilding.com. According to eyewitness reports, moderators didn’t believe him, and other users either on bodybuilding.com, Justin.tv or both egged him on to do it. Biggs, known as “candyjunkie” then posted a suicide note (copy here), downed a pile of pills then “went to sleep” all on camera. According to a report here, “he breathes for a few hours, people think he’s going to be alright and keep joking and trash talking him on Justin.tv”. Some time later people realize he was not moving, someone tracks down his details, calls police and paramedics, who then broke into his house to come to his aid…with that all being streamed live as well.
NewTeeVee has confirmed Biggs’ death with the Broward County medical examiner.
Most of the participants, as well as the deceased Abraham K. Biggs, were denizens of steroid information forum bodybuilding.com. Biggs, also known as CandyJunkie on the forum and Feels Like Ecstasy on Justin.TV, is alleged to have been a “well known troll” on the forum. He created a thread in the “misc” category yesterday afternoon detailing the amount of drugs he’s going to take with the intention to kill himself.
The moderators of the forum didn’t take his threats seriously “on account of his past trolling,” and other forum members continue to egg him on. At that point, Biggs posted his suicide note, which conveyed a general sense of depression and disappointment with life, not necessarily motivated by any hardship or cyber-bullying he may have received online.
At that point, Biggs turned on his Justin.TV channel, took the pills and laid down to go to sleep on his bed. After an unspecified amount of time, one forum member in particular from India became concerned by Biggs’ lack of movement and hunted down the actual name and location. He then pleaded with the forum to call the Miami-Dade police department, but was met with cynical replies declining to intervene on account of his “troll status.”
After several unsuccessful emails by the forum member to Miami-Dade police, he borrowed his father’s mobile and spoke to a number of policemen who didn’t take the call seriously, but directed him to the Broward County Sheriff’s Department.
Approximately an hour later, Biggs’ door was busted down and BSO and paramedics arrived on the scene. After quickly confirming his status, covered the camera.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (36)
at 18:04 on November 20th, 2008
Sad! What kids wouldn't do for kicks ...
at 18:04 on November 20th, 2008
It's like an Alfred Hitchcock film ...
Nobody knows what's real anymore ...
Absolutely tragic !
at 19:05 on November 20th, 2008
The reason why people didn't take Biggs seriously is he had a history of leaving messages that weren't true. He had a previous message saying that he was running away from his dad's house with just $300 and a cell phone and gave out his cell phone number for others to call. It turned out to be not true.
A few days before he OD'd he had a post about what movies to watch while he was abusing Xanax recreationally.
Abraham was known for joking a lot and unfortunately it turned out to be a case of "the boy who cried wolf".
at 22:20 on November 24th, 2008
I do agree with you about the "boy who cried wolf" I have experience with it-my husband threatened suicide for years. One day, on the phone with him, he threatened me that he was going to shoot himself. Of course I didn't believe him. He killed himself while I listened!! I'm sorry I had to hear it,but it wasn't something I watched for 12 hours! If this was on the internet for 12 hours (and he committed suicide by overdose) someone had to see him taking too many pills-right?? He may have "cried wolf" before,but this was the real thing!!! The people who watched this are SICK!!! They should have done something!!
at 19:11 on November 20th, 2008
"Steroid information forum bodybuilding.com", talk about an agenda. Sounds like the author is another mindless zealot trying to insinuate that there's a comparison between steroid use and suicide. The misc section in bodybuilding.com is not not representative of the rest of the forums. How about some honest journalism?
at 20:23 on November 20th, 2008
just so you people know, bb.com is NOT a "sterioid information" website. it does contain information on steriods, but is an overall informative website on general body building.
so its not just a bunch of juicers talkin about how big their biceps are getting. its a legit website. do some research before you bad mouth it.
at 19:59 on November 20th, 2008
"Steroid information forum bodybuilding.com" ???? WTF is this? There is a very small section on the site with hormone replacenment info, that is very strict and not for kids. Most of bodybuilding.com is about supplements, workout routines, eating healthy, and stuff like that. Keep your agenda to yourself next time plz.
at 00:33 on November 21st, 2008
lol, whatever kid. There is a large section about using steroids on that site, it used to be right on the main forum until they recently decided to hide it in the IFBB section.
The steroid forums there may not be for kids technically, but funny how some kids were allowed to constantly post in those forums anyway (read Bladen) despite him being underaged and technically not allowed to post there.
at 21:47 on November 20th, 2008
wow strong bias. bb.com is in no such way a steroid information board. bb.com does not condone nor encourage the use of steroids.
at 11:27 on November 26th, 2008
Seriously though for the misc4lyfe poster and other Bb.com posters who were claiming that Bb.com does not have any association with steroids, just thought I would ask if that were true than why was one of your very own posters (an avid poster in fact a moderator of the site) just busted on charges? LOL he wore a BB.com shirt to his court date, nothing like trying to advertise the site. Let's not forget to mention here that he was picked up on steroid charges, and was a source at BB.com! So there goes the no juice at BB theory, am I right?
at 21:51 on November 20th, 2008
Everyone knows no one is the misc even lifts let alone takes roids. - H0334
If you knew the misc you would understand. Steriods are for pussies, we take dat dere celltech!
at 21:52 on November 20th, 2008
He has tried this several times before. He knew what went on in the forums on the topic of suicide or anything of that matter. He brought this upon himself. Bodybuilding.com cannot be blamed for his actions.
at 08:16 on November 21st, 2008
whatever helps you sleep at night man..
at 22:03 on November 20th, 2008
BODYBUILDING.COM is NOT a "steroid information" website. I lol'd.
at 22:22 on November 20th, 2008
OP TIITB?
[x] yes
[ ] no
at 23:59 on November 20th, 2008
Miscers no steroids. Ya right brah.
at 23:59 on November 20th, 2008
u mad?
at 00:02 on November 21st, 2008
He was a good person and will be missed. You can't blame Internet jargon for his death. It's just unfortunate.
However, the section of the forum it was posted in isn't known for steroids. It's mostly used to trade porn and Celltech.
at 00:53 on November 21st, 2008
Misc section: A forum composed of trolls who contribute nothing towards bodybuilding, and immature idiotic scrawny kids spewing worthless drivel into that sewer on the internet, which is encouraged to increase the post count and ranking of that forum in order to line the owner's pockets.
Literally 90% of the posts on that board are "in", "lulz", "first" --- that is when they aren't egging on mentally depressed people to kill themselves.
at 01:22 on November 21st, 2008
Oh hai guise.
I'm sorry but this is full of fail.
In the section of bb.com that CJ posted in you can't even mention about steriods with out the lock/delete. And CJ didn't even work out. He was just addicted to the misc. Nobody in Misc works out. Do we?
Anyway we all know dat dere cell tech is far superior to any steriod ever created.
The OP of this should be placed on justin.tv and let for midgets PITTV/B while Bill Cosby watches.
at 07:00 on November 21st, 2008
This guy was an annoying troll. He never posted content worth reading and posted about killing himself so much and so often that it could never be taken seriously. In a single day he would post 5-10 threads about OD'ing then delete the threads. You don't take the boy who cried wolf seriously.
If you are all looking for someone to blame point you finger at his friends/family/himself. kthnxbye
at 11:28 on November 23rd, 2008
anyone who posts ANYTHING about suicide at ANY time regardless of the frequency or seriousness, is OBVIOUSLY crying for help.
this is a well known standard in the psychiatric community, and society in general. Its too bad the morons at your forum didnt recognize this blatant show of mental illness.
I guess you are all pretty much back in the 70s eh?
at 07:41 on November 21st, 2008
people are sick. when he posted them messages he was crying out for help. would it of been so damn hard to actually talk to the kid instead of insisting him to kill himself?? what kind of people are you, i hope you live with the guilt that you helped kill someone.
at 19:03 on December 4th, 2008
I totally agree, people are sick. Instead of this that guy to talk to someone. He went ahead and kill himself for nothing.
at 12:03 on November 21st, 2008
i miss my best friend.
at 12:45 on November 21st, 2008
He was ready to die. End of story.
NNNNNNNEXT!
at 15:14 on November 21st, 2008
yo, where can i watch the video? ;-)
at 12:33 on November 25th, 2008
Your sick
at 15:07 on November 22nd, 2008
Yall talkin bout steroids when dis kid actually died. What da fuck r u dickheads stupid? Yall assholes think becuz most of yall try to live out video games and movies and ya life aint real dat everyone is like dat and shit aint real. Well it was and da only thing dat should b on these forums are sympathy not defending some stupid muscle bound website. U all should go to hell with gasoline drawers on....assholes. R.I.P kid.
at 17:49 on November 22nd, 2008
Lol @ the BB.com people here. Defending the site like it is their most prize possession, yet a man dies and they care less. They sit and watch, encourage, and ignore countless cries for help. Then in the following days they have the balls to post up their rip's and what nots, claiming they gave a damn when in reality they don't give a crap, they were just their for the lulz. So the boy made previous threads, well I hope the hell you guys never have children. If you did not see them as cries for help,than you are completely blind. It truly is sad. My heart mourns for all of these children, for all of these "adults". The lack of respect, the insensitivities, and the ignorance that has become is not what I would want my child raised in, nor is BB a board that I would want my teen posting on. Nice support, nice friendly/family atmosphere. More like a landfill. Justintv should have strict guidelines and the landfill Misc should be shut down. If it cannot be moderated correctly than it shouldn't be there. Oh and lol @ the site not being related to steroids, maybe not to the Misc people but to the others it is!