Mark Salling’s death certificate confirms all the details we know about his suicide. The Coroner’s Office just released the certificate, filed in L.A. County … and it lists cause of death as asphyxia by hanging. It also says he was found dead in…
Showing posts with label Salling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Salling. Show all posts
Monday, February 12, 2018
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Mark Salling Child Porn Case: Dismissed Following Suicide
Facing four to seven years for possessing child pornography, former Glee star Mark Salling pleaded guilty.
Mark Salling committed suicide, however. A complicated act that may have royally screwed over a lot of victims.
Now, some may find it curious that Salling’s criminal case has been (posthumously) dismissed.
In a document obtained by The Blast, it is shown that the court has dismissed the child porn case against Mark Salling.
“For good cause shown, it is hereby ordered that: The government’s motion to dismiss the indictment pursuant to Rule 48 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure is granted. The indictment in the above referenced case is dismissed without prejudice.”
Note that “without prejudice” means that a case can be brought before the court again. Though that’s unlikely — Salling is dead.
Prosecutors filed the motion to dismiss the case on Tuesday.
United States District Judge Otis D. Wright then signed the order on Wednesday.
This was basically just a formality. If Salling had waited until the case was closed, it wouldn’t be an issue. As it is, courts don’t try and convict the dead. That would be farcical.
The details of Mark Salling’s child porn charges were horrifying.
He was first turned in by a girlfriend, who apparently found “hundreds” of images of minors — the kinds of images that no one should have — on his computer.
Police investigated, and discovered that Salling had multiple devices containing horrifying, child pornography in both images and video.
The evidence against him, as presented in court, contained over 100,000 pages. Not all of those were photographs, but more than 50,000 of them were.
Those are a lot of victims and a lot of ruined childhoods.
A lot of ruined lives.
One fact from the case that will always haunt us is the knowledge that one of the videos in his possession was of a five-year-old girl performing a sex act, reportedly on Salling himself.
As we mentioned, Mark Salling’s suicide screwed over his victims.
Months before he ended his own life, Salling had agreed to pay restitution to some of his (identified) victims.
Reports claimed that each would have received $ 50,000. A later clarification reported that amounts would have varied according to factors such as therapy costs and other expenses.
While no one can imagine that Salling’s money could have changed the lives of every single victim in his stockpile of over 50,000 images, the restitution could have made some difference in the lives of some of those whom he personally victimized.
Despite the agreement, it had not yet been ordered by a judge, and could not go into effect without Salling.
In all likelihoods, these survivors will get nothing from Salling unless they sue his estate. And perhaps not even then.
Salling’s suicide is a complicated one.
Many would cheer at the death of someone who did so much harm in his life — and who could blame them?
However, applauding a suicide is … different than applauding an accidental death or even a murder, because people who struggle with suicidal depression may be impacted by such celebrations.
For those who struggle with suicidal thoughts on a regular basis, the topic of suicide is akin to an allergen. Just as most of us can eat peanuts without issue but they’re fatal to others, most of us can talk about the death of a very bad man, but others cannot.
Adding to the complexity, of course, is the knowledge that, in taking his own life, Mark Salling cheated these victims out of restitution. That money would never have compensated for ruined childhoods and damaged lives, but it might have helped.
Who’s to say, however, what was on Mark Salling’s mind at the time?
It’s very likely that he wasn’t thinking of them at all when he took his life.
That this wasn’t a final insult to people who likely suffered at the hands of many adult men, but just a way out of what was sure to be a miserable prison experience.
Or perhaps it was a way out of his own self-loathing, if that’s truly how he was feeling about his crimes.
But now Salling is gone. Now his case is dismissed.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Mark Salling Child Porn Case, Prosecutors Move to Dismiss Case After Suicide
Mark Salling’s child pornography case will come to an abrupt halt after his suicide, because prosecutors just filed legal docs asking the judge to dismiss the case. The documents are short and to the point … they are asking the federal judge who…
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Mark Salling Died from Asphyxia by Hanging
Mark Salling died from asphyxia by hanging and it was death by suicide … this according to the L.A. County Coroner. The Coroner just determined the cause of death, which is what TMZ reported early Wednesday morning. TMZ broke the story, the former…
Mark Salling: Why His Suicide May Screw Over His Victims
Prior to Mark Salling committing suicide this week, the former Glee star pleaded guilty to a number of child pornography charges.
In December, Selling entered a guilty plea in court, faced with mounting evidence against him that included the discovery of 50,000-plus images of prepubescent children on his personal devices.
Moreover, authorities reportedly found a video of a five-year-old girl performing a sex act on Salling.
We’re talking truly heinous stuff here.
It’s why many people out there were not sad to read that Salling took his own life via hanging on Tuesday.
However, it’s now come to light that Salling’s decision to kill himself may have a negative impact on those who suffered at his hands.
As part of his plea deal, it had been agreed to months ago that Salling would pay each of his molestation victims $ 50,000.
But this had not been made official by a judge.
Now that the actor isn’t actually around to make any payments, an insider explains to Us Weekly why the victims may never see this money.
“Restitution would be a part of his sentence,” the source explains. “The amount of the restitution is determined by the sentencing judge.”
The problem is that Salling was due to be sentenced in March.
“He will not be sentenced,” the tabloid’s expert continues.
“Therefore there will be no restitution order… I doubt that there is anything to take to civil court. Any restitution order would be allocated among multiple known victims.”
In other words, as cited above, the plea deal had been reached, yes.
Restitution had been agreed upon.
But Salling killed himself before a judge could actually order it paid.
“The amount allocated to each would be different based upon, for example, therapy expenses they have incurred,” this source expounds.
“No such order has been entered. I am unclear as to how anyone feels that they could go into court to enforce an order which has not been entered.
“I’m not saying that there isn’t some lawyer out there willing to file suit on behalf of someone claiming to be a victim.
“But I am saying, that there is no order to be enforced, for $ 50,000 or any other amount on behalf of anyone.”
A coroner has confirmed that Salling died by hanging himself on Tuesday.
He was set to be sentenced to a minimum of four years in prison on March 7.
According to E! News, Salling had been isolated for quite some time before his suicide, having lost contact with almost anyone close to him.
“He had demons he was wrestling with for many years,” this outlet writes, sort of stating the obvious.
After Salling’s body was found in a park near his home, his lawyer made the following statement:
I can confirm that Mark Salling passed away early this morning. Mark was a gentle and loving person, a person of great creativity, who was doing his best to atone for some serious mistakes and errors of judgment.
He is survived by his mother and father, and his brother.
The Salling family appreciates the support they have been receiving and asks for their privacy to be respected.
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Mark Salling Had Money Available to Pay Child Porn Case Victims
Mark Salling was far from broke before killing himself — and that’s good news for his child porn victims, who now have to sue to get the money he agreed to pay them. According to docs obtained by TMZ … Salling set up a corporation in 2009 –…
Mark Salling Tried Suicide Several Times Before Hanging
Mark Salling tried to kill himself multiple times before he finally took his own life … law enforcement sources tell TMZ. Sources involved in the investigation tell us their interviews with witnesses paint a dark picture of the actor, who was…
Mark Salling: Details Of His Final Days Revealed
Yesterday, the entertainment world was shocked by news that Mark Salling had been found dead at the age of 35.
No official cause of death has been released, but it’s widely believed that the former Glee star took his own life.
The response to news of Salling’s death has been mixed, as the actor’s sexual misconduct left thousands of victims in its wake.
Back in December of 2017, Salling pled guilty to possession of child pornography.
Prosecutors claimed he had amassed more than 50,000 explicit images and videos of pre-pubescent children.
Salling was awaiting sentencing at the time of his death.
He was expected to serve 4-7 years in prison.
For obvious reasons, many believe that Salling doesn’t deserve to be remembered fondly.
Those who knew him best, however, say that despite the horrific crimes that marred Salling’s final years, they’ll mourn the loss of a beloved and gifted young man who was destroyed by his demons.
Little is known about Salling’s final days, as the actor maintained a reclusive lifestyle after news of the criminal investigation into his activities went public.
However, a small circle of confidants were privy to his inner world right up until the end, and two of them have spoken with People magazine:
“He was close with his family, but as far as friends go — he maybe had those acquaintances he communicated with every once in a while, but he pretty much isolated himself,” said one source
“He didn’t really have a relationship with too many people.”
The insider says that while the world will remember Salling as a depraved predator, a small inner circle will recall a charming entertainer with a gift for making others smile:
“The Mark I knew was charismatic, he was funny, he was musically talented — he was a really cool person,” the friend says.
“This other dark side of him was completely shocking to everyone close to him,” says the source. “Close people who didn’t talk to him are still sad about it.
“They loved him because of the person he was before all of this happened. There’s a level of sadness with everyone, but the sadness is from afar.”
Another insider reiterates that Salling was well-liked by his family and small network of friends, but admits that the actor was tortured by his professional failures:
“His career was off the boil, though; he was kind of the quarterback that peaked in high school, still dining out on Glee,” the second source says.
“Eventually, though, he started to focus on his music, which seemed like a good thing. That’s where he should have been focused to start with.
“But then the child porn thing came out, and people were so shocked. … It quickly started to become clear it was real, and then the few people still around him iced him out.”
The source adds that the revelations about Salling’s dark side were all the more shocking due to his reputation as a smooth-talking ladies man:
“He always had girls around him,” the insider says.
“Mark was fun, he had the charisma — sure, some was because he was on a show, but he also had that X factor you know?”
Our thoughts go out to Salling’s friends, family, and his victims during this painful time.
Mark Salling Suicide: Glee Stars, Crew Members React
As previously reported, Mark Salling is dead at the age of 35.
The former Glee star, who rose to fame as the character of Noah Puckerman on this Fox comedy, appears to have committed suicide.
His body was found hanging from a tree in the woods near Salling’s home on Tuesday.
According to TMZ, authorities have not tracked down a suicide note, but those familiar with Salling’s situation can imagine why he chose to take his own life:
The actor pleaded guilty in October of 2016 to child pornography charges and was facing many years in prison.
His sentencing was set to take place in March.
It had also been reported that just prior to accepting a deal with prosecutors around that time, Salling tried to slit his wrists.
In response to this tragedy, Salling’s former Glee co-stars and some crew members who worked with him on that popular series have spoken out on what transpired.
Many of them referenced both Salling’s death and the horrible allegations to which he confessed in court.
For example, producer Tim Davis Tweeted the following:
“Today we lost another #Glee cast member.
“Yes, he committed crimes against children. Yes, it’s horrific. But #MarkSalling was a broken man, no doubt an abuse victim himself.
“I loved Mark, and am sad when I consider the devastation of his parents. PLEASE withhold your cruel comments.”
Jane Lynch then went ahead and retweeted Davis’ second statement, which reads as follows:
“Let me be clear. Having compassion for #MarkSalling in no way minimizes his crimes, nor does it minimize the pain and devastation of the victims of those crimes.
“I’m just saying stop adding to his family’s pain. This was their son. If you’re without sin, feel free to cast stones.”
Matthew Morrison, meanwhile, shared an Instagram photo of himself posing with Salling and Cory Monteith, the latter of whim died in July of 2013 from a drug overdose.
Jenna Ushkowitz commented on the post with a heart emoji.
Widely respected director Paris Barclay also took to Twitter to react to the very unfortunate news.
“It’s a painful loss, again,” he tweeted alongside a picture of Salling and Monteith, adding:
“Two young actors, lost too soon. #RIP #marksalling.”
Iqbal Theba, who portrayed Principal Figgins on the Emmy-winning musical, simply Tweeted: “Oh Mark.”
Cinematographer Joaquin Sedillo Tweeted: “Devistating… Suicide is never the answer.”
Salling starred on Glee from 2009 from 2015, playing a high school student referred to by the nickname “Puck.”
He was best friends with the character played by Monteith, a seemingly tough football player who initially expressed disdain for the glee club, only to eventually reveal a much softer side and an impressive singing voice.
Wrote actor Finneas O’Connell in response to the suicide, taking a somewhat different approach from those who were close to Salling:
“I met Mark Salling Once when we were filming the final episode of Glee together. I didn’t know him at all and I won’t pretend I did.
“It’s been a horrifying thing these past two years finding out about the crimes he’s committed. I don’t feel sorry for him. Only sorry for his fans.”
This is what Salling’s attorney said the public yesterday, shortly after news of Salling’s death went viral:
I can confirm that Mark Salling passed away early this morning.
Mark was a gentle and loving person, a person of great creativity, who was doing his best to atone for some serious mistakes and errors of judgment.
He is survived by his mother and father, and his brother.
The Salling family appreciates the support they have been receiving and asks for their privacy to be respected.
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Mark Salling, No Suicide Note, Body Discovered By Dumb Luck
Mark Salling did not leave a suicide note and cops have already combed his home, his car and the area where he hanged himself and nothing has turned up … law enforcement sources tell TMZ. The question we’ve been asking for hours … how did police…
TMZ Live: Mark Salling: Dead From Apparent Suicide
ON TODAY’S SHOW Nicole Eggert: Here’s Why I Lied about Scott Baio Sexual Abuse Meek Mill: Clerk Asking For Money Fired Justin Bieber: Screwed Out Of A Grammy! Will Smith: Fresh Prince Cartoon Reboot
"Glee" Star Mark Salling Dead of Apparent Suicide
Mark Salling is dead of an apparent suicide, according to law enforcement … TMZ has learned. We’re told his body was found near a riverbed in Sunland … the area where he lived. We do not yet know the manner of death. We’re told he may have died…
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Mark Salling Enter Guilty Plea for Possessing Child Porn
Between Corey Monteith’s tragic death and Naya Rivera getting charged with domestic battery, things aren’t going so well for some members of the Glee cast.
But the worst of all has to be where Mark Salling’s life has taken him.
And he has now entered his guilty plea for possession of child porn.
Back in October, Mark Salling finally agreed to a guilty plea for his child porn charges.
According to the terms of his plea agreement, he’ll serve from 4 to 7 years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release.
Obviously, he’ll have to register as a sex offender and enroll in a counseling program.
Considering that prosecutors had found about 50,000 images of prepubescent children on his personal devices and reportedly discovered a video of a 5-year-old girl performing a sex act, he’s getting off lightly.
He could have faced 20 or more years in prison.
Considering that the little girls whose photos and videos he had in his possession will never get to have normal or healthy childhoods, many feel that Salling should rot behind bars.
The legal process works much more slowly than it does on television, folks.
Mark Salling agreed to the plea deal in October, shortly after the former Glee actor reportedly attempted suicide.
He’s entering the plea now, in December.
And he won’t be sentenced until March 7th.
It would be unorthodox for him to receive a sentence beyond the plea agreement that he made with prosecutors, since usually sentencing following a plea deal is mostly a formality.
But there’s always a chance of a dramatic upset if a judge determines that a plea is, for example, too lenient. Or perhaps if new evidence of further wrongdoings is unearthed.
That’s still very unlikely.
4 to 7 years is a long time to have your entire life on hold, and there are some people who would argue that child pornography is a “victimless crime.”
We have to believe that the children who were victimized on camera would disagree.
Any sympathy we might have for someone whose brain has a few crossed wires that cause a blurring of their nurture instincts and their sexual attraction goes away the moment that they participate in the victimization of actual children.
(The same way that we stop feeling sorry for someone whose instincts for food and sex are blurred the moment that they start, you know, eating people)
If it helps quash any lingering vestiges of sympathy for Salling, he allegedly responded to news of Ed Westwick raping his girlfriend by breaking up with her instead of, you know, confronting him, comforting her, or suggesting filing a police report.
Anyway, Mark Salling will spend time in prison.
We hope, however, that the time that he spends in mandatory counseling after his release will help him to combat his urges.
Given that he had tens of thousands of these horrifying images, we’d say that he developed a wildly unhealthy compulsion.
But since he’s dated adult women, we have to assume that he could one day lead a healthy sex life.
Assuming, of course, that any woman would have him.
Mark Salling Officially Enters Guilty Plea in Child Porn Case
Mark Salling made good on his plea deal by marching into court Monday and pleading guilty to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor. Salling was in the L.A. courthouse and, as we expected since he struck the deal…
Monday, October 16, 2017
Mark Salling Attempted Suicide Before Plea Bargain: Report
According to multiple new reports, Mark Salling slit his wrists and tried to kill himself prior to striking a plea bargain in his child pornography case.
The incident allegedly took place in the bedroom of Salling’s Los Angeles home on August 22, both TMZ and The Mirror write.
The disgraced ex-Glee star cut both his wrists and quickly “freaked out,” an insider says, explaining that Salling yelled for his roommate almost immediately upon realizing what he had done.
The roommate rushed in, found Salling covered in blood and called 911.
Paramedics then rushed to the scene, placed the actor in an ambulance and took him to the hospital.
TMZ reports that Salling was taken for psychiatric evaluation after this suicide attempt – and, days later, was transported to a rehab facility for psychological issues.
It’s unclear if he was officially diagnosed with any official condition or ailment.
But if you’re wondering why Salling is almost always wearing long sleeves, even in California, it’s because he has scars on his arms from this cutting.
Earlier this month, Salling reached a plea deal on charges that stemmed from police finding over 50,000 images of child porn and erotica on his personal computer.
The actor, best known for playing Noah Puckerman for years on the aforementioned Fox comedy, faces four to seven years in prison for this crime.
He has also agreed to make restitution, in the amount of $ 50,000 per victim, although it’s unknown at this time just how many victims are actually included among Salling’s heinous misdeeds.
A judge has not yet handed down a sentence.
As part of Salling’s eventual release, however, he will be registered as a sex offender.
Moreover, he will not be allowed to live within view of any school yards, parks, public swimming pools, playgrounds, video arcades, or any other places that are regularly visited by people under the age of 18.
TMZ, meanwhile, says it has spoken to Salling’s attorney and he denied this suicide story.
However, he did not say which details were incorrect, adding:
“Mark is physically fine and Mark is spending his time atoning and working on himself.”
He very clearly has a lot to work on.
Mark Salling Cut His Wrists Before Plea Bargain
Mark Salling hurt himself in a suicide attempt a month and a half before striking a plea deal in his child porn case … TMZ has learned. We’re told the “Glee” star was in the bedroom of his L.A. area home on August 22 when he cut both of his…
Friday, October 6, 2017
Mark Salling, Miso Hungry After Plea Deal
Mark Salling had a hankering for Japanese after cutting a deal with prosecutors in his child porn case … a deal that will land him in prison. Salling got takeout from Sake Sake in L.A., the day after pleading guilty to possession of child porn…
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Mark Salling Pleads Guilty in Child Porn Case, Faces 4-7 YEARS in Prison
Actor Mark Salling could be facing some serious prison time after entering a plea of guilty to child pornography charges today.
The ex-Glee star pleaded guilty in the case, which reportedly involved possession of material involving a prepubescent minor.
This comes over a year following his arrest, after which he appeared in an L.A. courtroom for his arraignment and pleaded not guilty.
The terms of his plea agreement state that Salling would serve 4-7 years behind bars followed by up to 20 years of supervised release.
Conditions of said release will be determined by the court.
Mark Salling will also have to register as a sex offender and participate in psychological counseling and/or enroll in a treatment program.
In June of last year, the 35-year-old was indicted on two charges of receiving and possessing child pornography on his laptop.
It was also on a hard drive and 16GB USB flash drive.
He got arrested December 29, 2015, at which point Salling’s devices were seized by investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department.
The items “contained thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography,” according to police involved with the case.
Days after Salling’s indictment, he was fired from his gig on the miniseries Gods and Secrets. He has kept a low profile since.
In May of last year, he was indicted on two charges of child pornography, which carries a possible 20-year jail term for each.
Around the time of his arraignment, court documents were obtained detailing the graphic extent of the evidence against him.
The documents contained 100,000 pages of evidence of Mark’s crimes, including photos and forensic examination results.
Yes, 100,000 pages.
“Several digital devices containing images of child pornography” are also said to exist, and that’s not even the worst part.
Salling allegedly even had a video in his possession that was purported to show a five-year-old performing a sex act.
Unbelievable.
Naya Rivera, who co-starred with him on Glee and reportedly had a fling with him back in the day, said she wasn’t surprised.
“My son’s nanny actually told me about it when the story broke,” Naya writes in her book Sorry, Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes and Growing Up.
“I can’t say I was totally shocked, but still – WTF? Then I had no doubt that God really did have my back along the way.”
Mark Salling Cops Plea in Child Porn Case
Mark Salling has plea bargained his child pornography case … pleading guilty to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor. Salling had been charged with 2 counts of child porn after cops found more than 50,000 images of child…
Monday, October 31, 2016
Mark Salling: Rape Case Thrown Out of Court!
Earlier today, we reported that former Glee star Mark Salling was being investigated for rape.
Now, in a surprising turn of events, the Los Angeles County District Attorney has dropped the charges against Salling.
The reason for the decision has little to do with Salling’s perceived guilt or innocence, and probably won’t do much to restore the disgraced actor’s reputation.
According to TMZ, the DA decided not to pursue charges against Salling simply because too much time had elapsed since the alleged incident.
An unnamed 22-year-old woman claims that Salling forced himself upon her in 2012.
The woman says she was a virgin at the time, and Salling ignored her repeated pleas to stop.
She claims she told Salling, “I don’t know if I can do this,” but that he plied her with alcohol and eventually overpowered her.
She says she blacked out during the rape, and Salling was sleeping next to her when she awoke.
The following morning, he allegedly wanted to have sex again, and the woman says she consented.
A source close to the DA says investigators felt they would be unable to gather sufficient evidence due to the fact that more than four years have passed since the alleged incident.
The matter was further complicated by the woman’s admission that she had one consensual sexual encounter with Salling.
Insiders say law enforcement has allowed for the possibility of re-opening the case in the event that more evidence should emerge.
Of course, just because he likely won’t do any jail time in connection with this latest allegation, that doesn’t mean Salling is out of the woods legally.
Late last year, Salling was arrested on child porn charges after police claimed he had stored thousands of illicit images of children are a hard drive.
In May, Salling was indicted on two counts, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years.
The 34-year-old actor is currently out on $ 20,000 bail.
Salling’s trial is due to begin next month.
Those familiar with the evidence say the prosecution is considering the case against him to be open-and-shut.
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