Posted on 04/19/2008 8:06:18 AM PDT by Brian Mosely
Austin police said Thursday that they are leaning toward a ruling of suicide in the death of a middle school teacher and activist whose body was found Wednesday in Lady Bird Lake with his hands and legs bound and tape over his eyes.
Police identified Riad Hamad, 55, at a news conference Thursday and said the binding of his limbs and the placement of the tape was consistent with Hamad having done it himself.
Austin police homicide Sgt. Joe Chacon said family members told investigators that the Clint Small Jr. Middle School teacher had "several stressors" in his life and had talked about possibly killing himself. Police said that they think Hamad walked from his car to the lake, based on evidence they gathered at the scene.
"The car was found on the south shoreline with no signs of mysterious activity," Chacon said.
< snip >
Debbie Russell, president of the local American Civil Liberties Union chapter, sent an e-mail Thursday to dozens of activists throughout the city saying that Hamad's death had been ruled a homicide. Russell said in a later interview that she wrote that e-mail after she thought she had heard media reports that Hamad had been killed.
She said in the e-mail that Hamad had recently been under investigation by the FBI — federal officials confirmed the investigation — and described him as "NOT a terrorist but a peaceworker." Hamad was serving as an official for the Austin chapter of the Palestine Children's Welfare Fund.
FBI spokesman Erik Vasys said that Hamad had been a "person of interest" in a criminal investigation but that he could not elaborate.
(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...
.... said the binding of his limbs and the placement of the tape was consistent with Hamad having done it himself.
Riiiiight...
Parallel universe alert.
Yeah she would know all about that, and so would Bill
He was probably going to report some pedophile teacher.
Uh Oh, sounds like he was a Muzzie.
How the hell would you bind yourself? I’m sorry, this just doesn’t sound right at all!
They local news made the case it was suicide, that he’d mentioned it many times.
Been waiting for more to come out about this. If the roll of duct tape was still attached, the suicide story might be more believable.
“NOT a terrorist but a peaceworker.”
One less ... isn’t the end of the world.
I am so tired of these TERRORISTS.
He raised money and medicine to send to children in Palestine.
sounds like this suicide came out of the arkancide hand book
Amen, they need to go far far far away!
I’d like ot know more about him, as a person:
“The family’s statement described him as a “peace activist who worked tirelessly on behalf of those less fortunate than him and was loved and admired by many members of the local, as well as international community.”
“Mr. Hamad’s family and friends are obviously devastated over their loss,” the statement said.
Hamad had taught at Austin Community College but was fired in June 1998 after officials said he violated the school’s nondiscrimination policy by making “sexist and off-colored jokes” in class, school officials said.
I was going to post “Arkancide” until I saw that. Wow!
I’m a tad suspicious about this one ... . Something isn’t passing the smell test.
the things that make you go hmmmmmmm
I’m so sure it got to those “children” in Palestine.
It does sound strange, but maybe the guy was strange. It is very difficult to intentionally drown yourself if you can swim, unless you jump off a bridge. So, maybe the guy was just plain nuts and wanted his death to look like a murder.
What I want to know is how he got into the water with his legs bound?
That part of Texas is infamous for suicides that are suspicious. During the LBJ and Billie Sol Estes times, suicides like this were not uncommon.
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