I think it's a shame
...that he died, and IF he was mentally ill and suicidal that no one was there at the crucial moment to help him. His last hours of life seem to have been spent in a depressed, confused state, and no one should have to go through that, not even counting what his family and close friends must be going through right now.
If you assault a police officer, you are normally not going to be treated well by them, regardless of if you're altered, confused, or just an asshole. Unfortunately most cops in my experience are going to subdue first and ask questions later, not make much of a distinction. If you're in a more enlightened area you may just get "Tased" or restrained, if you're in a more backwards area where spelling your name correctly is apparently all you need to become a cop, you may get severely beaten or killed. This is unfortunately life in every part of the world, not just the US.
Not knowing the whole story, it appears that Mr. Murdock was having a bad time of things. He was apparently arrested and let go once, then again later. It sounds like he may have killed himself, which is a damn shame. As most of us that have been depressed know, even a day can make a huge difference if you can get through the rough patch.
It is a sad testament to genius that the most driven, intelligent, visionary people often live the most torturous lives and self destruct. Even the not so genius in our field seem to have a much higher incidence of dying young.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
