Suicide

Marisa O'Neil A Huntington Beach High School student committed suicide this weekend at a hotel party after his school prom, officials said. Senior Christopher Davidson, 18, was with his 16-year-old girlfriend and nearly 100 other students at a party early Saturday at the Residence Inn in the 800 block of West Baker Street, Costa Mesa police Lt. John FitzPatrick said. After a fight with his girlfriend and friends, Davidson locked himself in the bathroom, FitzPatrick said.

Mothers who ousted a convicted child molester from their Newport Beach neighborhood in the late 1990s lauded his death Tuesday. James Lee Crummel, 68, hanged himself Sunday while on death row at San Quentin State Prison, authorities announced Tuesday. He was sentenced to death for killing 13-year-old James "Jamie" Trotter, who was on his way to school in Costa Mesa in 1979 when authorities say Crummel kidnapped, sexually abused and then murdered him. Trotter's body wasn't found until several years later, and Crummel wasn't sentenced for the crime until 2004.

A 20-year-old Santa Ana man was found dead on the beach this morning after committing suicide, police said. Andrew Russell was found on the beach at about 7:15 a.m. at the waterline of 16th street and West Oceanfront in Newport Beach after suffering what police referred to as a self -inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to authorities. The shotgun was found next to him on the beach, police said. Police are still investigating. The apparent suicide happened near a neighborhood heavily populated by drug and alcohol rehabilitation homes, but Russell was not a client of any of them, police said.

A man found dead Tuesday morning off the sands of Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina shot himself with a gun, the county coroner determined. The man, a 21-year-old Las Vegas resident, committed suicide about 11 p.m. Monday at the south beach area of the resort. He had been a guest of the resort’s RV park for the last few days. The coroner’s office has released the man’s name, but the Daily Pilot has a policy not to print the name of suicide victims unless they were a public figure.

Newport Beach police detectives now believe the death of embattled Newport Beach financier Danny Pang was a suicide, a law enforcement official said Saturday. “Our police detectives are of the opinion that the Danny Pang death is a suicide with no evidence of any foul play,” Newport Beach Sgt. Shontel Sherwood said. It could take the Orange County Coroner two to three months to make a ruling as to what caused Pang’s death because the agency is still waiting for toxicology test results, according to a news release.

Further details, including the names of the couple involved, have been released regarding an apparent murder-suicide on Dec. 16 in a Costa Mesa condo. Costa Mesa police said David McClure Bennett, 58, committed suicide after shooting Malinda Jane Barton, 58, in the head at their condo in the 2300 block of Vanguard Way. Police said a friend of Bennett called at about 6:51 p.m. to warn them of disturbing things Bennett had said. "Bennett had confided in a friend that he'd recently been diagnosed with a serious medical condition," Det. Lt. Robert Phillips said.

It’s always hard to understand any time when a young person dies. The young have so much promise, so much potential. So it’s especially disheartening to hear the news this week of Allan Oakley Hunter III, who died after apparently taking his own life while away at college. The former Corona del Mar High student studied at New York University and was widely known for his artistic talents. Why he chose to end his life remains a mystery. Hunter, also known as “Trey,” has left nothing but sadness behind.

A 50-year-old man apparently shot and killed his wife and then turned the gun on himself Saturday evening, according to Costa Mesa police officials. Police officers responded to a call about a woman being shot at a residence in the 2300 block of Vanguard Way at 6:51 p.m.. Officers at the scene then made telephone contact with a man inside a condominium unit. Police said the man threatened the officers over the phone after barricading himself in the residence. The man also fired a gun in their direction, police said.

Q: I've suffered from depression for years, and at least twice have come close to committing suicide. Many factors made me hold back. For the past six years, the longest period since I first sought help, I've been on anti-depressant medication and receive regular therapy. I have no current plans to do myself in and don't want to face that choice again. However, for me, the effects of depression have been so erosive that I believe it can be compared to many long-term physical ailments that are eventually fatal.