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OU student left suicide message
The Oklahoman ^ | Sun October 16, 2005 | Nolan Clay

Posted on 10/16/2005 11:02:43 AM PDT by MizSterious

Sun October 16, 2005
OU student left suicide message

By Nolan Clay
The Oklahoman

NORMAN - The University of Oklahoma student who died in an explosion Oct. 1 left a message on his computer that he was going to quit living, his father said.

The FBI read the message to the father Friday, after he came to Oklahoma to clear out his son's university-owned apartment.

Joel "Joe" Henry Hinrichs III, an engineering student, died when his bomb went off about 100 yards from the packed football stadium during the second quarter of OU's night game against Kansas State.

Hinrichs, 21, was from Colorado Springs, Colo. He had a reputation as a loner and had struggled at times with his grades. His parents had begun divorce proceedings.

Joel Hinrichs Jr. said he understood investigators found the message on the computer screen when they arrived at the apartment.

"It was a single line of text on his computer," said the father, who lives in Colorado Springs. "The cursor was still blinking at the end."

The father said he could not recall the exact wording but said his son used profanity in the message and was obviously very angry. "He wrote he was dissatisfied with the situation and was going to quit living," the father said.

His description of the message is consistent with the recollection of others who have been briefed about the investigation by the FBI.

No links to terrorist groups

FBI officials have said they may never know whether the student wanted to get inside the stadium. The student did not have a season ticket.

FBI officials also have said the investigation has not found any links between the student and terrorist organizations.

His father said he thinks his son was just committing suicide and never intended to hurt anyone else.

The father said the FBI on Friday showed him the fractured bench where his son was sitting when the bomb exploded and photos of his son's headless body and a tattered backpack.

The father said when cleaning out the apartment, he learned his son apparently had been having trouble sleeping and had bought Sominex, a sleep aid.

The younger Hinrichs had a long fascination with ammunition and bombs, his relatives and friends said. Inside his bedroom in Norman were several used metal artillery shells -- the largest about 2 feet long. He had belts of used brass shell casings, a box of spent bullets and military ammo containers.

He also had items more typical of many college students -- textbooks, empty liquor bottles, magazines and a martial arts movie videotape.

The father allowed two reporters from The Oklahoman into the bedroom briefly Thursday.

Bomb experts removed explosive-related materials from the apartment Oct. 2. Contributing: Randy Ellis


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Oklahoma
KEYWORDS: batf; bomb; cia; fakesuicidenote; fbi; hinrichs; homelandsecurity; normanbombing; normanbomer; ou; oubomber; oubombing; waronterror
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To: TigersEye

That Congresman Cole came across as a big phony. Everything was a "coincidence" he said--all the various connections with Al Quada terrorists that have been noted on these threads. "All coincidences", he ranted.

How long has this guy been a congressman? Was he their rep when the OKC bombings occurred?


261 posted on 10/16/2005 8:35:36 PM PDT by Palladin (America! America! God shed His grace on Thee.)
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To: maggief

Just like Kennedy at Chappaqudic (sic), sealed means immagine the worst, it's true!


262 posted on 10/16/2005 8:37:22 PM PDT by AmericanDave (God bless .......and MORE COWBELL)
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Comment #263 Removed by Moderator

To: 50sDad
The younger Hinrichs had a long fascination with ammunition and bombs, his relatives and friends said. Inside his bedroom in Norman were several used metal artillery shells -- the largest about 2 feet long. He had belts of used brass shell casings, a box of spent bullets and military ammo containers.

And again, jmust like Columbine, shouldn't the parents have known something odd was going on?

What's odd about having used brass and/or spent bullets (or one wonders the more common "dummy" rounds). If they locked up FReepers for stuff like that, this site would be mighty quiet.

264 posted on 10/16/2005 8:43:22 PM PDT by El Gato
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To: Squantos

Didn't Vince Foster leave a computer note? oh that's with the WH video tapes..... LOL.


265 posted on 10/16/2005 8:47:36 PM PDT by AmericanDave (God bless .......and MORE COWBELL)
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Comment #266 Removed by Moderator

To: RegulatorCountry

How in the world did you get that from a post I made telling a guy he should read the damn article and think before posting?


267 posted on 10/16/2005 8:50:28 PM PDT by HoustonCurmudgeon (A right wing Christian, not part of the Christian Right)
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To: HoustonCurmudgeon

"How in the world did you get that from a post I made telling a guy he should read the damn article and think before posting?"

Get what? I merely responded to your reply, which contained the following:

"Unlike FReepers the FBI doesn't run out and proclaim everything that springs into their minds the minute it pops up."

And, my response to this quote from your reply was:

"Unlike immediately running out and claiming that this was a "lone suicide," despite Hinrichs having attempted to purchase ammonium nitrate a few days prior, despite his having blown himself up with a backpack filled with TATP outside a stadium filled with 84K or so people, and having a cache of explosive materials in his apartment?"

Makes perfect sense to me. At what point does your confusion arise?


268 posted on 10/16/2005 8:54:03 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry (Esse Quam Videre)
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To: MizSterious
Actually, the night it happened, they announced almost immediately that there was no suicide note. They were sure quick to proclaim the absence of a note--but a little late in backtracking, it seems.

Exactly, they said there was no note, now they say the computer was on when they searched the apartment (which was the day after the event) and the computer was on with the note on it, and the cursor still blinking.

Plus the fact that the roommate had to have not noticed all those explosives, smell and all. So much stuff that it took hours to remove it (Not almost 24 hours though, the warrant was served early Sunday morning, the bomb trailer was observed to make several trips, and the stuff was blown up sometime shortly after 9 PM Sunday night.

269 posted on 10/16/2005 8:56:10 PM PDT by El Gato
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To: AmericanDave

http://www.parascope.com/gallery/galleryitems/fosternote.htm

Nope !.......:o)


270 posted on 10/16/2005 9:03:22 PM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ©)
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To: F15Eagle
tinfoil aside, was this in Notepad, Wordpad, MS Word, was it at a DOS-prompt?

All of them have a blinking cursor, at least mine do, I just checked.

271 posted on 10/16/2005 9:04:21 PM PDT by El Gato
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To: El Gato

"Plus the fact that the roommate had to have not noticed all those explosives, smell and all."

I've brought up the smell, as you and several others have. It's considered enough of a "tell" that there have been warnings to watch out for people acting suspiciously and wearing too much cologne to cover up the odor.

But, nothing here. Did you catch the story in San Diego, where a strong, odd smell was detected OUTSIDE a condo, and when police knocked on the door to investigate, the guy killed himself? Upshot of my mentioning that is, neighbors would have known, not just the roomate, Cheema.


272 posted on 10/16/2005 9:06:10 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry (Esse Quam Videre)
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To: Palladin

Ha ha, it's "Heartland." FNC doesn't even recognize it when I put it in their own on-site search engine, looking for a transcript tonight.

"Heartland" will always remind me of the nauseating theme music and logo treatment the national nets gave to the OKC bombing "Terror in the Heartland" dunh-dunh-dah-dunh!


273 posted on 10/16/2005 9:06:21 PM PDT by Rte66
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To: oolatec
Then why not OD or slit your wrists? Strapping a bomb to yourself and blowing yourself up near a football stadium... several blocks from your home, just doesn't add up.

I can see wanting to go out with a bang. But there are open areas, with buildings or people, much closer to his apartment than the far side of the OU football stadium. (Far side from his apartment, which is east of the stadium, while he punched out on the west side.)

274 posted on 10/16/2005 9:07:12 PM PDT by El Gato
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To: RegulatorCountry
My confusion comes because I was talking with a guy who had made a post questioning why the suicide note would still be on the computer at this late date. I pointed out that perhaps he might want to actually read the article that said the note was there when the FBI arrived. Anything else you find there, proves my point about those who go off without the necessary information or facts.
275 posted on 10/16/2005 9:08:24 PM PDT by HoustonCurmudgeon (A right wing Christian, not part of the Christian Right)
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To: El Gato

For that matter, any other day and the stadium itself is empty in the middle of it, if you want a big open space!


276 posted on 10/16/2005 9:09:19 PM PDT by Rte66
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To: brytlea
I don't know all the ins and outs of computers, but it really wouldn't be possible to tell if the roommate wrote it after the fact, or even if the FBI did

If it was in a word processor, like Word, WordPad or Notepad, and if the file had been saved, then there would be a time stamp on the file. If it was just an open window, there still might be one on the temporary file the program creates with a new document, or even when you open an existing document/file.

277 posted on 10/16/2005 9:10:49 PM PDT by El Gato
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Comment #278 Removed by Moderator

To: HoustonCurmudgeon

"Anything else you find there, proves my point about those who go off without the necessary information or facts."

I can only respond by reminding you of your own statement:

"Unlike FReepers the FBI doesn't run out and proclaim everything that springs into their minds the minute it pops up."

In case you hadn't noticed, you are a "FReeper, too. And, my response to this quote from your reply was:

"Unlike immediately running out and claiming that this was a "lone suicide," despite Hinrichs having attempted to purchase ammonium nitrate a few days prior, despite his having blown himself up with a backpack filled with TATP outside a stadium filled with 84K or so people, and having a cache of explosive materials in his apartment?"

It is a comparison, between your disparaging comment about FReepers in general, and the behavior of "authorities" on this case. It's quite logical, IMHO. Do you have the necessary information or facts, in order to realize this, now?


279 posted on 10/16/2005 9:17:26 PM PDT by RegulatorCountry (Esse Quam Videre)
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To: BlessedByLiberty
Unless, of course, one believes that a typical American youth would commit suicide by sitting outside a stadium with explosives in a backpack and not with guns, knives, pills, bridge jumping or a car crash.

He was 21, it's not like he couldn't have driven that Town Car to the nearest pawn shop or gun store, bought a gun and ammunition, and still gone out with a bang, just not such a big one.

280 posted on 10/16/2005 9:21:53 PM PDT by El Gato
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