Two hackers committed suicide and no one still knows the real reason why

Aaron Swartz and Jonathan James committed suicide in different years; surprisingly the prosecution team trying them was the same

Two of world’s  most wanted hackers had committed suicide and no one still knows why. Aaron Swartz and Jonathan James, both hackers by profession and most wanted by the FBI have committed suicide in face of the federal investigation against them for hacking crimes.

Interested thing is both hackers were not connected to each other in any way but were being tried for hacking by the same department and the case was being overseen by the same Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Heymann. Could this have any hand in their suicides.

Some people close to Swartz say that it was an overzealous federal prosecution team that contributed to Aaron Swartz’s suicide. On January 6, 2011, Swartz was arrested by MIT police on state breaking-and-entering charges, after installing a computer in an Institute closet which he set to systematically download academic journal articles from JSTOR. Federal prosecutors later charged him with two counts of wire fraud and 11 violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, carrying a cumulative maximum penalty of $1 million in fines, 35 years in prison, asset forfeiture, restitution, and supervised release.

While James was implicated in the biggest hack of personal identity case, committed suicide on May 18, 2008. Jonathan James was found dead in his shower with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. His suicide was apparently motivated by the belief that he would be prosecuted for crimes he had not committed. “I honestly, honestly had nothing to do with TJX,” James wrote in his suicide note, “I have no faith in the ‘justice’ system. Perhaps my actions today, and this letter, will send a stronger message to the public. Either way, I have lost control over this situation, and this is my only way to regain control. … Remember, it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s whether I win or lose, and sitting in jail for 20, 10, or even 5 years for a crime I didn’t commit is not me winning. I die free.”

As said above, both hackers were from different backgrounds and had been accused of doing something very different.  James was accused of stealing tens of thousands of credit card numbers, while Swartz was more of a social activist. He was an advocate of free culture and an open Internet.

The question remains whether the over zealous prosecution somehow hammered the fact into both James and Swartz’ mind that they would never escape the law. Whatever the case, it seems that no one will be held responsible for both the suicides and both the hackers deaths have been to relegated to rather ignominious history.

10 COMMENTS

    • Yes, these comments must be by “Mis information” dept, who with half a brain doesnt see this same thing played out often, I mentioned Phillip Marshal the pilot who wrote Bamboozeled, he killed his kids then himself??? Yaaaa right

  1. Maybe they couldn’t handle the pressure, they knew they would go to jail…so they decided to kill themselves by putting a bullet in the back of their head

  2. I’ve been accused of something I didn’t do before. There is no such thing as innocent until proven guilty. When people hear you’ve done something, it’s an instant witch burning. You feel trapped, lost, out of control. Everyone that was your friend turns on you. You are called criminal and prisoner constantly. In a situation like this, I totally wished I was dead. I’m not brave enough to do it myself, but I wished a cop would have shot me back then. It took me 10 months of court battles. I lost my job, all my money, my friends, my belongings and I had no ability to defend myself or get out of my situation. Then to top it all off, I was told by the prosecution that they believed me, but they couldn’t just let me go. I had to still face a jury trial, and they told me that 99% of the time in cases like this, they would give me jail time, a criminal record and fines. The only way I could go free was if I took a deal from the prosecutors, by admitting I did a lesser charge of the same type of crime.

    There is no such thing as justice in the justice system.

    Everyone still believes I did what I was accused of. I had to move to a different city and 8 years later I am still rebuilding my life.

    • Maybe they found out something similar more than just credit card numbers and school journals. Thus the government got the better of getting into their minds leading to their deaths. Government is psycho powerful…so ti speak!!

  3. Staying alive has nothing to do with character. All organisms are programmed to stay alive. Only brain damage, extreme environmental circumstances or a rare degree of philosophical abstraction (which some might argue could be a form of damage in that it requires a brain that departs from the norm in its abstraction capabilities) can result in suicide. Arguing that suicide has anything to do with character is like claiming that someone is of good character because they can delay going to the bathroom or hold their breath longer than someone else.

  4. Is this sites writer really asking what happened? He already answered it as I assume he meant but just wanted us to put two and two, Hmm 2of the FBI’s most wanted, (this is first clue) found “suicided” and this is a shock? Just look up Phillip Marshal that should about let anyone who still doesnt get it what happens when u speak any truth not allowed, while your at it, Check out how many Clinton aides, pilots, secret service agents commited “suicide” or were shot and no one ever found guilty

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Read More

Suggested Post