The Los Angeles Times has an exclusive story today suggesting that noted microbiologist Bruce Ivins had become a suspect in the 2001 anthrax murders. It further reports that Ivins has apparently committed suicide.
This comes on the heels of the government's settlement with another scientist, Steven Hatfill, paying him over the next years $5.82 million for invading his privacy and ruining his career.
The story does not address the FBI investigation into Dr. Kenneth Berry, which we have covered extensively here. Dr. Berry has never been charged, either.
The LA Times story is very short on named sources, exactly the type of media attention that helped win Dr. Hatfill his money. The press's record for reporting on the murders is full of errors due solely to their reliance upon anonymous sources. We know that most of the information leaked in the first months of the investigation was incorrect. It may be that the reports about Dr. Ivins are, as well.
The sloppiness of the technicians involved with the investigation is already known. At least two people contracted an anthrax infection due to their poor lab procedures while handling samples. Dr. Ivins was investigated for some poor lab practices as well, but that does not equate to his being the murderer. Nor does his apparent suicide equate to guilt. He was a proud man, with his job in doubt and expenses piling up. Understandable depression is not guilt.
The FBI has been using the media to attack people they view as "persons of interest" without regard to the normal protocols of criminal investigation and without regard to the damages caused these people by the leaks. The media, the LA Times, are cooperating in this character assassination with little regard for journalistic ethics or human decency.
Wizbang has some good links for Bruce Ivins, his scholarship and scientific stature.
