I was moved by a news story in The Source. Although news...even The Source can give you "facts" that are first viewed through the eyes of the journalist and then a little spin doctoring is done before the reader sees the information. We still do not know or may never know how this man's journey ended with two murders in Central Oregon.
The facts are 18 months he lived in Portland, had friends, belonged to a poetry group, was a carpenter, conservationist, avid bike rider, outdoors man, skilled naturalist, artist, musician and friend.
According to those who worked and played with him, he went to college in upstate New York, he had a great sense of humor, loved camping and took his love of the enviroment to the point of riding his bike to work every day...and that is the beginning of the unraveling of his life.
Riding his bike to work a pick up truck clipped him causing a crash. The resulting medical bills were too much and one could speculate that getting involved in trying to get a settlement from the truck driver to pay those medical bills took him into the underbelly of human nature. His friends say it was the medical issues that brought on a downward spiral of financial hardship.
Although forever curious about human nature and choices I know I will never have an answer. What his friends do say is 18 months ago he just dissapeared, deciding to hike the Central Oregon Cascades. No on knew where he was or were he ended up until they heard the news on NPR radio.
As he has communicated with friends from jail you wonder how a man who's words are so beautifully written could harm another human being?
"I can only describe my state as being lost in a lugubrious fog. I’m afraid nothing at the time made sense at all. Now a year later, nothing makes a glimmer of sense."
He discribes his last 18 months..."It’s funny, it’s tragic, it’s diabolical."
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