Mark Salling has reportedly died in an apparent suicide weeks before being sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography. He was 35.
TMZ, The Blast and E! all reported his death. LAPD PIO told PEOPLE that officers responded to a death investigation at the 11900 block of Big Tujunga Cyn Road Tuesday morning at 8:50 a.m. but could not identify Salling.
The Glee star pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor Oct. 4, 2017. After striking a plea deal in December, he was due to be sentenced in March and expected to serve four to seven years in prison.
“Mark is focused on accepting responsibility and attempting to atone for his conduct,” Salling’s attorney Michael Proctor said in a statement to People at the time.
I wish there was some kind of resource or foundation he could have reached out to so that he wouldn’t have felt hopeless.
He could have turned his life around. He could have been an example.
Had he “only” killed someone, he’d likely still be alive today to serve out his sentence and try and rebuild his life.
Everybody knows these days that registering as a sex offender means losing most of your rights and liberties, being denied acceptance into society, being subject to the whims of legislators seeking to curry favor with voters, disgrace, hatred, obloquy, and vilification from the media and the masses, and being regarded as a pariah, or worse.
As sad as it is when someone commits suicide, it is not so surprising in a case such as this. I also wish he had sought help, because even with all the negatives that come with life on the registry, it is still life and it is still precious.
The feeling of hopeless, helpless and powerless over your future. Living with the uncertainty and chaos of knowing that people will never trust you ever again, much less forgive or forget. Living with the lifelong stigma of being looked upon as a pervert, pedo and predator. Not being able to overcome the climate of ignorance and hate that comes with being associated with CP. The marginalization and shunning that goes along with being on the registry, not to mention being permanently unemployable.
At least he was spared of the aforementioned.
Now he’ll be remembered specifically for his crime and everything he did previously will be devalued and forgotten. That is the real tragedy.
Very sad that when people have the tendency towards children, can not get help or go somewhere to talk to someone about their feelings without being arrested. Just like guys with feelings of rape. There should be therapeutic centers to help people with these kinds of issues. Therapists and patients should be able to have safe communication (in confidence) without interference of law enforcement or court mandate. Our country is going backwards instead of forwards. By arresting, convicting, and incarcerating more and more people for sex crimes does not bring a solution to the problem. We need to bring victims and perpetrators together to heal and move forward. I can’t see any other way. Our prisons are not a place of rehabilitation so there has to be another way!
The article at https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/glee-star-mark-salling-dead-apparent-suicide-2-183521198.html stated “Salling had to register as a sex offender and enter a treatment program; have no verbal or electronic contact with anyone under the age of 18; stay 100 feet away from schools, parks, public swimming pools, youth centers, playgrounds and arcades; and pay $50,000 in restitution to each victim, according to the documents.”
The article at http://people.com/crime/former-glee-star-mark-salling-indicted-on-child-pornography-charges/ stated that “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, if you hurt a child you will be held accountable,” said Lt. Andrea Grossman, Commander of the LAPD Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. “These images are more than photographs, they are child abuse.”
Mark Stalling was charged with “receiving and possessing child pornography”. Mark didn’t take the pictures, Mark didn’t touch the children, Mark looked at the pictures. How will these children be helped provided anyone even knows who or where they are? How does this stop any child abuse? I feel bad for the children. I feel bad for the US justice system. RIP Mark.
Very sad. I have a serious question. (Battery case expunged/year’s ago/still required to register)
I live in a nice area and new neighbors moved in/built new house/inheritance). The people are nuts. I crossed them because they park massive RV illegally/I called on them.
I’ve had them pound on door late night/throw grass clippings/yell/we built wall and wife accused me of being a womanizer in front of wife (we have visitors/relatives etc). They have never been in our house/met anyone I know. Now, they are accusing me of having sex in their garage and they caught me? It’s getting nuttier
The judge in this case made sure he would never have a chance of getting back a normal life someday. At $50,000 per “victim”, and being caught with 25,000 images, it will bankrupt him forever. It’s become common through the use of face recognition, and with help from Facebook and Google, for law enforcement to actually identify a major portion of those in commonly traded CP.
Had he been given a typical sentence, without the damages, he possibly could have gotten treatment and become a help for the cause of getting rid of these Draconian sex offender laws and laws that don’t allow someone to seek treatment without turning themselves in to the police.
It’s judges and outcomes like this that perpetuate the cycle and force more families to hide abuse, thus leading to more and more victims. Let’s see, should we turn in Uncle Johnny and have the family shamed in public and forever remove his income potential and risk his suicide, or should we just try to hide it and look the other way? Shame on judges, legislators, prosecutors, and yes, even victims, that feel the need for revenge so much that they don’t care that it creates even more victims.
This just shows you people would rather die than be humiliated and persecuted for the rest of their lives. All that for looking at pictures…..Two more weeks people and I go in front of the judge for the motion to dismiss hearing….It’s getting real now…
Well, I’m not sure what to say. He clearly didn’t want to register, but the thought of facing 4-7 years wasn’t a nice feeling as well! I don’t think anyone would look forward to this. He has money, but it will only go so far. I would obviously buy a house gated/fenced in and live a quiet life hidden from society!!
I would just like to take a moment and say to all of those that have had to serve and then register as a SO, how very proud I am of you. And also to the friends and family who have been there for you. There are no words to describe how hard the laws and registration are on a sex offender unless you have been put through it. In my opinion… to feel as if one must kill themself, due to these sex offender laws and the label it carries, over pornography is a travesty. May God have mercy on the persecutors and the prosecutors; as well as Mark Salling’s soul now that it is at peace.