Chilean Man Simon Venegas Hanged Self During Webchat With Girlfriend

Simon Venegas, a 26-year-old Chilean man, hanged himself while chatting with his ex-girlfriend via webcam. The former couple, who had broken up a year ago, were in the middle of a conversation when Venegas turned his camera towards a tree in his backyard, revealing a rope hung over a branch. He asked the 23-year-old woman to “watch what I’m going to do” before telling her “I love you, take care.” She then watched, horrified, as he hung the rope around his neck. She called his friends to try and get them to go to his home and stop him, but they arrived on the scene too late to save him.

Venegas’ death calls to mind other cases of people having (or threatening to) commit suicide via webcam. The case of 19-year-old Floridian Abraham Biggs marked the first time someone actually broadcast his own suicide online, egged on by a chat room full of witnesses. 

Then there was the case of New Yorker Joseph Shepherd, who claimed he was suicidal and turned his camera onto his body on a bed. Concerned viewers alerted NYPD, who were able to track down his whereabouts with the help of his IP address. They found him to be alive and well. And promptly arrested him.

Then there’s the story of one MySpace user Jesse Coltrane, who, upon learning that an online friend in California was self-harming and planning to take his own life, alerted police and was able to get the teen into treatment. 

Venegas’ case is different, however, in that he chose to take his life in front of someone he loved and who presumably cared for him, as opposed to broadcasting his death to a room full of anonymous strangers. We can only hope his story inspires people who are thinking of taking their own lives - or those who suspect their loved ones may have suicidal tendencies - to reach out and get help and to think about the impact their death will have on those who love them.

Man hangs self as horrified ex watches on Web cam [AP]