In a case like this, at a conspiracy oriented website, there can never be any final certainty about what happened. Was this really a suicide, as the police and family say? Or were there darker forces involved? For that matter, can we really be sure that Richard has not simply gone into hiding somewhere? If Robert Kennedy Jr. could have been at the Hidden Resort for all the many years since his reported death, why not our dear Richard?
If someone is inclined to question or doubt, there is nothing anyone could possibly say to truly put the matter to rest. Police reports can be falsified, and lies and misunderstandings are commonplace on the Internet.
And I myself am surprised enough by the news, that I have wondered if I have a duty or obligation as his research partner. Perhaps I need to follow every lead as far as I can, and report the results here. But at the moment, I'm feeling at peace with a decision (for myself) to accept the accuracy of the report I've received.
At a minimum, I have decided to share what I know, so that readers can reach their own conclusions.
The reason I am surprised by this news, is that the last time I had a serious heart-to-heart conversation with Rick about the issue of suicide was approximately last March. At that time, he told me that his house in Lancaster was about to be foreclosed for non-payment of property tax. He said that with no place to go, he would be taking his life.
Rick has always had access to a firearm and he knew how to use it, so this was no empty threat. And it was a topic we had spoken of many times earlier.
Possibly Rick's most serious health issue was chronic sinusitis, which he believed was caused by a biofilm infection. It was highly resistant to all sorts of antibiotics and nostrums, and never really went away although it went through phases of being more or less acute. Rick believed that there was a constant threat that the infection would spread to his central nervous system, though as far as I know this never happened.
He also suffered from Crohn's disease, causing abdominal pain. And in recent years he had a skin cancer that went into his eye, causing disfigurement and loss of vision. With all of this, I believe that Rick was suffering in a way I can hardly conceive of. Yet at the same time, none of these conditions could be considered as terminal or fatal in the near term.
When we spoke of his woes, I always told Rick that I needed him, and that the world needs him. And also, I reminded him that his condition was a roller-coaster, and that very bad days were often followed by days of relative ease and comfort. I told him that I hoped that with anticipation of the good days, he could make it through the bad times.
Also, I recognized that working on Postflaviana could be depressing in itself. A never ending stream of bad news, combined with new insights into historical horrors. I suggested that maybe some other means of passing the time might be more encouraging. But he was insistent in wanting to continue working on our joint project.
Beyond that, I always pointed out that I wasn't a properly qualified counselor (my psychology degree has nothing to do with clinical work), and suggested that he ought to call the suicide hotline and get hooked up with a real therapist. As far as I know he never took that advice.
Getting back to the events of last March, I was in some distress that Rick might lose his house and his life at the same time. I called the tax assessor, and found out that they would not be taking any action to seize the property until October. I called Rick back with that news, and he was relieved to be getting a reprieve. I encouraged him to either sell the house, or take out a bank loan, so that he could get rid of the tax lien. Rick had inherited the house from his parents, unencumbered by any debt. It was a three bedroom house where he lived alone.
When Rick went to the hospital with "exfoliative cellulitis" (probably, toxoplasmosis) he fought hard to get the medical care and medications that he needed. There was no talk of suicide then, just a determined will to survive.
And, Rick came up with a plan to keep his house. His brother-in-law confirmed for me, that the family had agreed to take over the house and pay off the overdue tax account, and that Rick could continue living there. In fact, that was the purpose of the meeting that had been set for that afternoon, on Rick's birthday.
