Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> Criminal Report Daily

Criminal Law

: Criminal Report Daily

Australian Millionaire, Francis Pete Tovey, Killed by Homemade Suicide Robot

By Rachel Plotnick

I usually don't cover suicides, as they are not crimes, per se, but the case you are about to read is so bizarre that I felt it was worth mentioning.According to police in Australia, they were recently called to the million-dollar estate of Francis Pete Tovey, an 81-year-old Gold Coast man who recently committed suicide with the help of a robot. Details remain sketchy, but Australian media outlets have reported that neighbors of Tovey heard four gunshots early Tuesday morning. When they went to investigate, they found him lying dead in his driveway. Not far from Tovey's body was a robotic machine, armed with a semi-automatic .22 caliber pistol. Investigators say Tovey, who lived alone, left behind detailed notes and plans that show he had spent considerable time researching robotics on the Internet and had downloaded various plans, which he used in the creation of his "deathbot...continue to full post

Full post as published by Criminal Report Daily on March 20, 2008 (boomark / email).