Budd Dwyer
Robert Budd Dwyer (born November 21, 1939 in Saint Charles , Missouri , † January 22, 1987 in Harrisburg , Pennsylvania ) was an American politician . He became known for his suicide in front of cameras in a self-convened press conference .
biography
Dwyer attended Allegheny College in Meadville . From 1965 to 1970 Dwyer was a member of the House of Representatives from Pennsylvania , from 1970 to 1980 the Republican held a seat in the Senate of Pennsylvania .
Dwyer was serving as State Treasurer when he was convicted of bribes, postal fraud, conspiracy and perjury in a procedurally highly dubious process. He faced up to 55 years in prison.
He called a press conference on the morning of January 22, 1987, the day before the sentence was announced. During the course of this, he shot himself in the mouth with a .357 Magnum in front of the television stations' cameras . It was later found out that he was innocent. The prosecuting prosecutor had coerced a co-defendant by threatening to prosecute his wife to give false evidence about Dwyer's alleged involvement.
Copies of the recording of the suicide can be seen on the video portal LiveLeak , YouTube and in Michael Moore's documentary Bowling for Columbine .
Cultural reception
Kreator released Karmic Wheel on the album Renewal in 1992, a song about Dwyer's suicide. In the song, the soundtrack of the event can be heard muffled in an interlude. In 1995, the band Filter released Hey Man, Nice Shot, a song about Dwyer's suicide. In 2010 the documentary film Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer by director James Dirschberger, which deals with the event, was released. In 2014 $ UICIDEBOY $ made an EP called KILL YOURSELF Part III: The Budd Dwyer Saga available on Soundcloud . On the album cover you can see him with a revolver in his mouth. The producer name Budd Dwyer (stage name of member Scott Arceneaux Jr.) is also featured on all of the duo's EPs and albums.
The ambient black metal band Ellende uses original sound recordings from the recording in the song Weltennacht . In the accompanying video, which was published on the Youtube channel Ellende Austria , censored parts of the original recording can also be seen.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Suicide in front of running cameras. In: one day from January 20, 2012
- ↑ KILL YOURSELF PART III: THE BUDD DWYER SAGA. Retrieved November 17, 2018 .
- ↑ Budd Dwyer. Retrieved on May 29, 2020 (English).
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dwyer, Budd |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Dwyer, Robert |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 21, 1939 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Saint Charles , Missouri |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 22, 1987 |
| Place of death | Harrisburg , Pennsylvania |