Simon Rios, 36; Mass Murder Kills Self In Prison
Bill Schenley
FROM: The News-Sentinel ~
By Jeff Neumeyer
FORT WAYNE, Indiana
Mass murderer Simon Rios dies in an Indiana prison,
marking the end of a story that brought terrible pain
and suffering to the Fort Wayne community.
Rios was found hanging after 12-30 a.m. Thursday in
his cell at the Pendleton Reformatory.
There were indications the torment he caused others,
became a burden too great to bear.
Attempts to revive Simon Rios failed, and he was
pronounced dead before 1-30 a.m. at the Pendleton
Correctional Facility.
Prison officials say there were no signs of foul play,
and in fact, he left behind a suicide note.
His lawyer says he'd been beaten up before in
general population.
Michelle Kraus/Rios' Lawyer: " He got sent back
to segregation, segregation was very lonely for him,
and the note would indicate that he was very lonely.
His demons just got the best of him."
Karen Richards/(R) Allen County Prosecutor:
" I think it's very mistaken at this point in time to, in
any way, view Mr. Rios as the victim here."
Rios abducted, raped and murdered 10-year old
Alejandra Gutierrez in December 2005.
Five days later, he killed his wife, and three young
daughters in their Fort Wayne home.
Neumeyer: " Rios himself summoned police to the
scene, he was waiting on the front porch when
police got there. The crimes had a tremendous
impact on the Hispanic community."
A candlelight vigil and large-scale search for Gutierrez
unified the community, but intensified the pain when
details of what really happened came out.
Fernando Zapari, who runs a Hispanic newspaper
in town, knows the Gutierrez family well.
Fernando Zapari/Friend of Gutierrez Family: " We will
never forget what happened, it's not really the end,
you know, of this case. Simon Rios took his own life,
I think he waited a little too long, on my own opinion."
An autopsy will be performed, and both the prison
and Indiana State Police have investigators assigned
to follow-up.
Michelle Kraus says he requested in the suicide note
to be returned to his native Mexico.
She says his body will be cremated, and a Catholic Mass
in the Fort Wayne area is being arranged, before his
remains are shipped out.
Charlene
> Mass Murderer Simon Rios Dies In An Indiana Prison
>
> FROM: The News-Sentinel ~
> By Jeff Neumeyer
>
> FORT WAYNE, Indiana
>
> Mass murderer Simon Rios dies in an Indiana prison,
> marking the end of a story that brought terrible pain
> and suffering to the Fort Wayne community.
>
> Rios was found hanging after 12-30 a.m. Thursday in
> his cell at the Pendleton Reformatory.
>
> There were indications the torment he caused others,
> became a burden too great to bear.
Bull. It isn't because he hurt anyone: it's because he got caught.
I'm not a huge fan of the death penalty, mainly because it's so
unfairly meted out in the US and partly because you can't bring
someone back from the dead who has been wrongfully convicted (and
we've had a slew of those in Canada in recent decades). But I also
think that execution plays into psychopaths' hands: they want the
attention and the special treatment they get on Death Row. It's worth
it to them to have a shorter life if they can get more attention in
life. Locking them up and forgetting their existence is far harder for
them to tolerate.
wd44