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Sheriff: Online suicide pact had sexual overtones

CNN, USA
Feb. 12, 2005
www.cnn.com

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Saturday February 12, 2005

Alleged plot also involved people in Canada, Britain

KLAMATH FALLS, Oregon (CNN) — An Internet suicide pact believed planned by an Oregon man for Valentine’s Day had sexual overtones and involved computer users in other countries, Klamath County Sheriff Timothy Evinger said Saturday.

Gerald Krein, 26, was charged Thursday with solicitation to commit murder and conspiracy to commit manslaughter, after organizing the effort via an Internet chat room, authorities in Klamath Falls said.

Krein has no previous criminal record.

A grand jury is expected to get the case Monday.

Among those who agreed to kill themselves was a mother who also planned to kill her two young children, Evinger said.

Authorities said Krein apparently planned to coordinate the suicides on Monday over the Internet, possibly by using Web cameras. Evinger said the chat room was no longer active.

The alleged plot was exposed earlier this week when a Canadian woman with the chat room name “hapieluv” got cold feet and alerted authorities.

Saturday, three other women came forward and revealed more information about the group called “Suicide Party 2005,” whose members communicated in a chat room by that name. The women said participants were to commit suicide by hanging.

Among the tipsters were two women, who both have children, from Virginia and Missouri.

“There seems to be a common theme that the people who are coming forward are women,” Evinger said. “There have been comments about sex acts being performed, whether it’s by Internet or in person, followed by a suicide.”

Evinger said the alleged suicide plot also extended to Britain.

According to Evinger, Krein used Suicideparty2005 as his Instant Messaging screen name and allegedly organized a chat room involving incest.

In the chat room, a number of suicide options were discussed, including killing oneself while naked, the sheriff said. Authorities provided an example of one of the conversations, which allegedly took place between Krein and a woman.

Question – woman: How did you come up with the idea of a party? That’s pretty creative. Answer: Just did. So do you want to join? Answer – woman: Maybe. Question: Do you want to hang? Answer – woman: No, gas.

Evinger said Krein may have tried to contact women through a defunct British Web site dating to July 2003 called www.wannado.com.

One alleged chat room participant said of the message-sender, “He turned from the very beginning, saying, you know, have you ever thought about it? Have you ever joined a suicide party? That was like the third thing he asked me.”

Authorities admit they don’t know for sure whether any of the members, including Krein himself, planned to commit suicide, or whether some were playing a prank.

But Evinger told CNN, “It becomes more than a hoax to us when a woman from Toronto calls us and indicates she’s going to commit suicide.

“If he’s trying to get people to commit suicide all over the world, all over the nation, and especially here in Klamath Falls, we take that very seriously.”

Wednesday, authorities seized Krein’s computer from his parents’ home.

Krein moved to southern Oregon a year ago to take care of his ailing father, the sheriff said. Klamath Falls is about 230 miles south of Portland.