Suicide of Bill Sparkman

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Bill Sparkman
United States Census
worker discovered dead under initially mysterious circumstances.
Children1

William Edwin "Bill" Sparkman Jr.

schoolteacher and Field Representative for the United States Census Bureau found dead in September 2009 under suspicious circumstances. After more than two months of investigation, police concluded that his death was a suicide, staged by him to look like a homicide, so that his family could collect life insurance
.

Biographical details

Sparkman was raised in

Eagle Scout, he worked for the Boy Scouts of America as an adult, overseeing the programs in Polk and Hillsborough counties.[1] This work later took him to Atlanta, Georgia,[1] then London, Kentucky in 1993.[7]

Once in Kentucky, he raised his adopted son alone, joined a local

non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer. He continued teaching while receiving chemotherapy treatments from November 2007 to March 2008, during which time he completed his academic coursework, and was invited to speak at the commencement ceremony at Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah.[7] After graduation, he pursued a position as a middle school math teacher.[6][7]

Discovery of the body

On September 12, 2009, Sparkman's body was discovered

felt-tip marker.[12] It was reported in the media that the word had been written upside-down,[2] or from an upside-down point of view.[13] The orientation of how the text was written led the police to the eventual conclusion that Sparkman had written “fed” himself. Additionally, his census ID was taped to the side of his neck.[14] He was gagged, with duct tape around his hands and feet,[8] and over his mouth[5] and eyes.[15] Kentucky State Police criticized many media reports of the death, such as ones that asserted that he was hanging from a tree, when he was actually tied to a tree with a rope around his neck.[16]

Cause of death

Authorities eventually determined that Sparkman's death was a suicide, staged to look like a homicide.[17] Initially, police said that Sparkman's death was not natural, but hadn't ruled whether it was a homicide, a suicide, or an accident.[18] After an investigation by the Kentucky State Police that lasted more than two weeks,[16] Sparkman's 19-year-old son, Josh Sparkman, expressed frustration, and called it “disrespectful” that the possibilities of a suicide or accident were still being considered.[12] In the ensuing days, Sparkman's son further asserted that he was certain the death was a homicide, noting his father's truck had been “ransacked” with items stolen, which included Sparkman's census laptop and a family wedding ring—items not discovered by investigators.[19]

Preliminary findings of the local coroner indicated Sparkman died from

Office of Personnel Management, proclaimed his resolve to “come down on these perpetrators as hell hath no fury.”[21]

On November 23, investigators declared the death as officially a suicide. According to reports, Sparkman, who had previously battled

non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, was suspected to have believed his cancer had returned, and had taken out life insurance policies totalling $600,000[22] just prior to his death. The insurance policies would have been paid to his financially struggling son in the event of death, but would not pay out in the circumstances of suicide or death from cancer.[23]

Census impact

On October 11, Regional Director Wayne Hatcher of the Census Bureau's Charlotte, N.C. regional office, which has jurisdiction over a five-state area that includes Kentucky,[24] held a small memorial service at the cemetery in Clay County. He said other employees had reacted to the death by requesting to work in teams during census gathering.[25] While law enforcement conducted its investigation of the death, the United States Census Bureau suspended its work in Clay County.[5]

Media reaction

Because of Sparkman's status as a Federal Census Bureau worker, in addition to the word “fed” written on his body, the incident drew national attention. On

county clerk, a magistrate, and an election commissioner. Other city officials, such as the county's school superintendent and the circuit court judge, were indicted for voter fraud in March 2009.[5] The Christian Science Monitor also reported on possible connections to nearby drug activities and anti-government motives.[21] Clay County is one of the poorest counties in the United States, and residents feared the incident would add to its negative stereotype, despite progress in education and efforts against crime.[27]

Some suggested Sparkman's death may have been related to controversies over the

upcoming 2010 federal census. Earlier in 2009, several leading conservatives and Republican political figures spoke out against ACORN's involvement in census surveys,[28] and boycotted it over concerns that the census could be used against citizens.[29] Some libertarians faulted the census for contributing to the expanding government, and Latino activists boycotted it to push for immigration reform.[28] The Los Angeles Times reported that in the absence of public findings by investigators, some writers in the liberal blogosphere concluded that the death was the result of anti-government rhetoric during the presidency of Barack Obama.[10]

The Kentucky State Police, who conducted the investigation, noted that there had been widespread misinformation and speculation from the media coverage of the incident.[16] Robert Stivers, the Republican state senator from Clay County, said Sparkman's death had been “sensationalized” because of his status as a federal census worker.[27] In late October, the KSP commander in charge of the case said baseless media speculation “[had] been a detriment to the investigation,” since investigators were required to examine those claims.[15]

On December 11, an episode of the TV show

Law & Order titled “FED” featured a murder victim based on Sparkman, found shirtless with the word “FED” written on his chest. However, this victim was a conservative campaign employee who was plotting against an ACORN-like organization.[30]

Family reaction

Sparkman's son, Josh, was adamant that his father did not die by suicide.[31] He said a man who fought cancer for as long as Sparkman had would not take his own life, after showing the resolve to live every day.[31]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Chambliss, John (September 26, 2009). "Census Worker Who Died Was a Mulberry Native". The Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Police: Ky. census worker staged death as homicide
  3. ^ "William Sparkman, 62". The Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. March 5, 1992. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  4. ^ Saltzman, Sammy Rose (September 25, 2009). "Hanged Census Worker Bill Sparkman Was a "Naive" School Teacher". CBS News. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Levin, Alan (September 28, 2009). "Census surveys halted in rural Ky. county". USA Today. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  6. ^
    The Associated Press
    . Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  7. ^ a b c Kaprowy, Tara (April 3, 2008). "Cancer survivor earns degree". The Sentinel Echo. London, KY. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  8. ^ a b c McMurray, Jeffrey (October 29, 2009). "Coroner: Census worker died at tree in Ky. forest". Associated Press. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
  9. ^ "KSP says body was that of London man". USA Today. September 15, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  10. ^ a b c d Fausset, Richard (September 25, 2009). "Government ties explored as motive in death of Kentucky Census worker". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  11. WKYT. October 12, 2009. Archived from the original (Flash Video
    )     on 2011-09-28. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  12. ^ a b McMurray, Jeffrey (September 29, 2009). "AP Exclusive: Son sure Ky. census taker was slain". Associated Press. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  13. ^ US census worker death 'suicide'
  14. ^ Maddow, Rachel (September 25, 2009). "Census Worker Found Dead". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  15. ^
    The Courier-Journal. Archived from the original
    on January 19, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2009.
  16. ^ a b c Dill, Joseph (September 29, 2009). "KSP: Sparkman was not found hanging, other reports 'pure speculation'". The Sentinel Echo. London, KY. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  17. ^ "Police: Kentucky census worker committed suicide, staged scene - CNN.com". CNN. November 25, 2009. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  18. ^ Alford, Roger; Jeffrey McMurray (September 26, 2009). "Family cemetery visit led to hanged census worker". Associated Press. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  19. ^ a b McMurray, Jeffrey (October 7, 2009). "Officials release body of hanged Ky. census worker". Associated Press. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  20. ^ a b Barrett, Devlin; Jeffrey McMurray (September 24, 2009). "AP Source: Census worker hanged with 'fed' on body". Associated Press. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  21. ^ a b c Jonsson, Patrik (October 1, 2009). "Why police are keeping quiet on Census worker Sparkman death". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  22. ^ Police: Ky. census worker staged death as homicide
  23. ^ Bruce Schreiner; Roger Alford (November 25, 2009). "Police: Ky. census worker staged death as homicide". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2009.[dead link]
  24. ^ "The Charlotte Region". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  25. ^ McMurray, Jeffrey (October 12, 2009). "Official: Census takers want teams after Ky. death". Associated Press. Retrieved October 12, 2009.
  26. ^ "'The Rachel Maddow Show' for Friday, September 25, 2009". NBC News. September 28, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  27. ^
    The Courier-Journal
    . Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  28. ^
    The Huffington Post
    . Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  29. The Huffington Post
    . Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  30. ^ "Law & Order - "Fed"". TV Review. December 14, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  31. ^ a b John Jeremiah Sullivan. "American Grotesque", GQ, January 2010.

Further reading

  • Schapiro, Rich (March 2013). "The Hanging". The Atlantic. 311 (2): 68–81.
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