Six days before his scheduled sentencing for sex crimes against two students, a former Bucks County middle school teacher killed himself Saturday at his home in Northeast Philadelphia.
Jeffrey Anderson, 23, left a suicide note saying he could not live with what he had done, prosecutors said.
The certainty of spending at least 10 years in state prison “was like death to him,” added Anderson’s defense attorney, Sara Webster. “In his mind, his life was over.”
Until his arrest in May, Anderson had been a Central Bucks School District swim coach and a substitute teacher at Tohickon Middle School in Plumstead Township.
The La Salle University graduate pleaded guilty July 31 to several felony and misdemeanor sex crimes involving two Tohickon ninth-grade girls, ages 14 and 15. Two counts were first-degree felonies carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 to 20 years.
Anderson was found in his bathroom Saturday night by his parents, who were visiting from Georgia, Webster said. He had died of asphyxiation from carbon monoxide poisoning, said Jeff Moran, spokesman for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner.
He apparently had taken an outdoor grill into the room and died from the fumes, Webster said.
According to court records, Anderson and the teens had begun a salacious online relationship via instant messaging and Facebook.com Web sites that soon turned physical.
He had kissed both of the girls in a school classroom before arranging to meet with them at the home of one of the teens on a Saturday in April when the girl’s parents were away. He had sexual contact with both of them there, court documents say.
The girls’ parents confronted the teens after computer-monitoring software revealed that they had been communicating with Anderson. After the girls disclosed the sexual contact, the parents summoned police.
Anderson “was very remorseful, and he truly regretted what he had done,” Webster said. “From the beginning, he admitted his crimes. He said, ‘I did something wrong, and as a teacher, I should have known better.’ ”
Anderson left a three-page suicide note, First Assistant District Attorney David Zellis said. In it, he acknowledged his loved ones’ “unconditional love, even after the monster inside was revealed. But I cannot live with what I have done.”
The note was signed, “With much regret, Jeff.”
Webster said Anderson was upset about the lengthy sentence he faced. Pennsylvania’s newly enacted Jessica’s Law provisions doubled the mandatory minimum sentences for many sex crimes involving minors.
There was also the possibility that, if his sentences were imposed one after the other, instead of concurrently, Anderson could have faced 20 to 40 years, Webster said.
“So for a 23-year-old kid who loved the outdoors and loved his family, this was an appalling sentence,” Webster said. “I think the law has gone too far in taking away the judge’s discretion in sentencing people such as this. You don’t have a sociopath here, though certainly he deserved punishment.”
Anderson still had many supporters, Webster said, especially among parents of swimmers he had coached. Many had planned to testify at his sentencing Friday in Doylestown before Judge Albert J. Cepparulo.
“They were doing it because of what a fine coach and mentor he had been,” Webster said. “In many ways he was an exceptional human being.”
Now, she said, some of those swim-team supporters are planning a memorial.
Duration : 0:0:22
Me using the Titans online for the ps2.
College-May 01, 2009
http://OnlineVideoGuitarLes9256.spaces.live.com
dating tips: It involves etting realistic match criteria. People should establish dating boundaries between others.You must be prepared and upbeat the things in life. And try to know about exceptation about each other. And be patient then listen to his words abruptly. It means keeping things in simple and fun. You should choose right person for your life. Successful dates are when you are at your most casual and most upbeat and most relaxed. Recognize whether he is compatible with you are not. And impress him for his work. http://www.girl24.org
PGA TOUR star and 2007 Masters Champion Zach Johnson talks about relationship with his father and his feelings about being a dad himself. Zach also provides information on the Kodak Challenge and your chance to win a special Fathers Day gift.
Learn how to play and teach this great advanced bingo game for practicing arithmetic with expert teaching tips in this free online kids math games video clip.
David Schejbal, Dean of UW-Extension division of Continuing Outreach and E-Learning talks about the new green degree (Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management) being offered by UW-Parkside, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout, UW-Superior and UW-Extension.
How Melissa is using her UW-Superior online degree