RSSEscaped spammer found dead in murder-suicide
By Tim Conneally | Published July 25, 2008, 12:50 PM
"Spam King" Edward Davidson, who recently disappeared from the Colorado minimum security facility where he was serving 21 months for tax evasion and e-mail fraud, was found dead yesterday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Davidson ran a company called Power Promoters from 2002 to 2007 that, among other things, promoted penny stock companies by sending out thousands of spam e-mails with falsified headers. When he was indicted in June 2007, the IRS reported that Davidson had collected over $3.5 million without paying taxes.
In May, Davidson reported to Florence Federal Correctional Complex, a federal work camp outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado, to serve his sentence. He escaped custody on Sunday, and was being tracked by the IRS, FBI, and US Marshals.
Responding to a report of gunfire in the small town of Bennet, Colorado on Thursday morning, local deputies found Davidson, his 29 year-old wife, Amy Lee Ann Hill, and their 3 year-old daughter dead from gunshot wounds in and around a parked SUV.
An infant boy was found unharmed in a carseat in the back of the SUV, and a female teenage witness was shot in the neck, currently reported to be in the University of Colorado Hospital in serious condition.
"murder-suicide"?
"self-inflicted gunshot wound"?
Errr no, that's just suicide Tim.
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|quote:
Responding to a report of gunfire in the small town of Bennet, Colorado on Thursday morning, local deputies found Davidson, his 29 year-old wife, Amy Lee Ann Hill, and their 3 year-old daughter dead from gunshot wounds in and around a parked SUV.
Doesn't say that his wife was a suicide. And somehow I doubt that a 3 year old shot herself. :|
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|"local deputies found Davidson, his 29 year-old wife, Amy Lee Ann Hill, and their 3 year-old daughter dead from gunshot wounds"
And that's murder-suicide. Better luck next time.
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|Why can't you people be bothered to actually read the entire article? Your brain gets tired after a single paragraph? Attention span just not long enough?
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|For God's sake, BN needs to cite sources on -all- articles. While it does seriously make the news seem less unique to cite a source, it does add credibility.
We had another article recently about the narnia.mobi domain dispute that DID cite a source and it was apparent to diligent readers that BN did leave out important details.
I love BN and love their selection of articles and love their analysis, the comments, etc. -- but I think it's a little bit irresponsible to write stories from an associated press feed (or wherever the articles come from) and to not cite sources on statements. BN doesn't send reporters to the field, so it's reasonable.
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Judge Krieger also ordered him to pay $714,139 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As part of the restitution, Davis agreed to forfeit property he purchased, including gold coins, with the proceeds of his offense
--
http://www.informationwe...tml?articleID=209600652
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Davidson
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|This is a great opportunity for a conspiracy theory.
It's hard enough understand running to avoid under two years in a minimum security prison. Maybe it makes sense to kill yourself to relieve your family of millions of dollars of fines and restitution. But killing your wife and child is incomprehensible. They were not breaking up. They were running away together.
Davidson was not the only one to make money with his pump and dump stock schemes. There is where you will find the only people to benefit from this bizarre mass murder.
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|He oughta a taken out the rest of his family, kill off the genetic strain entirely, this woulda been the Christian thing to do!
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|Spoken like a true idiot. Congratulations on your own gene pool.
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|Actually it would be the Darwin thing to do, technically speaking of course. Although natural selection isn't that natural these days.
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|Look at your own reply. You don't think spammers deserve jail? You think they should be allowed to keep the money they have cheated people out of? They are self centered and care only about themselves. BTW, are you a spammer? Your post makes you look like one.
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|Read the original post again and see just how tactless it is.
"He oughta a taken out the rest of his family, kill off the genetic strain entirely, this woulda been the Christian thing to do!"
It really was an insensitive thing to say. Granted I'm a fan of Darwinism, but this was unfortunate that he couldn't just kill himself off and not leave his wife/kid alone.
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|No George, Christianity does not encompass honor killings.
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|Spammers deserve jail time, but small children do not deserve to be murdered. Think before you post. I'm a father and stories like this sicken me.
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|This just shows how truly sick these spammers are. They have no regard for people online or offline. They are always trying to beat the system and make big money. I think 10 to 15 years and forfiture of all there money would be appropriate. To kill your family over your going to jail for breaking the law has got to be one of the sickest things ever.
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|this just in... turns out the 3 year old daughter shot and killed her parents and turned the gun on herself.
what a crazy bunch!!
ok ok, in all seriosness.. wow, 2 years is nothing in a sentence, and wow.. 2 years for spamming?! this is not a crime!!
ok, flame away
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|It's the IRS issue. I too have back taxes, however, they are way smaller than what this guy was facing on 3.5 Million.
However, I do wonder. If he served jail for the spamming bit, he likely lost a good amount of the money, thus his taxable income should have been adjusted greatly... so I have no idea.
But if the IRS issue was stressing him out enough, it meant that in the future, he couldn't rent an apartment, buy a home, finance a car, or anything as the IRS and credit bureaus can really shut down a person's life who is found in violation.
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|Scumbag.
I'll beat the s*** out of him when I get to hell.
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|Kratos has him first!
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|So, in the meantime you just punish us...
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|I feel that all "true" spammers should be put to death, but killing "loved" ones for your own errors is just lame.
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|I have several words to describe what he did, but I admit "lame" was not and is not one of them.
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|F*cking @$$h0le. Killing the 3yr old kid and the wife. What did they ever do? Support him? Look up to him?
The guy had issues, but he didn't have to take it out on his family. I'm shocked he ran from a 2yr sentence. He probably owed all that $ in tax debt too even after the time served though.
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|No kidding. How in the f**k can you shoot your 3 year old. Ain't words for this kind of story.
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|One less scum bag breathing my oxygen.
Rest in Hell
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|I am sad for the friends and family who lost love ones as a result of this tragic incident. My thoughts go out to them.
Mr. Davidson was convicted of a crime and should have been interned for about 21 months. Davidson's family should not have been burden by his actions. So much potential lost in moments of haste. It is sad.
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|Feeling depressed?? Try these new pills!!!
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|honestly, if the court would have sentenced him to death, he would have not issued that sentence upon himself and his family.
may it be a lesson for other spammers
if you get caught, just ask for a death sentence from the prosecutor and then everyone else can be spared from your misery.
looking forward for the adaptation by "Law and Order"
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|The guy was clearly mentally ill. You can't blame the law for this.
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|You clearly are watching too much TV.
With your way if thinking, next time I send a joke to someone and they don't like it, I could be on Death Row.
Also, with all the SPAM i get, China's Population issue would be resolved becasue they would all have to be put to DEATH.
Stop Watching Law and Order, CSI and NCIS. The bright yellow Object you see out the windows is your friend... EXPLORE IT!
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|Specially since he escaped! (sigh)
--->You can't blame the law for this.
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|*Touches it* Ah bugger! It's hot!
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|well, if the joke is in bad taste or poor judgement, then i don't think you deserve death row. burning at the stake would be the correct punishment.
other alternatives i would agree with are bamboo shoots under the finger nails, water boarding, etc..
it's all good and fair for SPAMMERS.
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|Maybe I watch too much TV, but to me there has to be something else going on for someone to run from a less than 2 year bit - let alone be found dead in such a situation after successfully escaping custody.
I've seen more than enough unreported and misreported news happen right in front of me to swallow such a story whole and ridicule a dead guy like some of the other comments below this.
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|I'm sure jail time, millions of dollars of debt and almost a guarantee not to have a job for the forseeable future are enough to drive some people to say there's nothing left of their lives.
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|Did you read the part that said:
"Deputies found Davidson, his 29 year-old wife, Amy Lee Ann Hill, and their 3 year-old daughter dead from gunshot wounds in and around a parked SUV."
Yes, there is probably more to this overall, but taking out innocent others becasue of your mistake... He simply was not willing to take ANY responsibility.
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|What a tragedy and what a coward, making his family pay for his mistakes.
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|What an A-grade bas****.
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|What a COWARD!
You want to kill yourself, knock yourself out do it, but don't take innocent others with you!
Also, not that I want to be in Jail, but 21 Months??? That is nothing today and could have been out in half that for good behavior!
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