Ramblings' Journal

Forsake The Troops website creator killed (UPDATE: confirm fake death)

Michael Crook, the creator of the reprehensible ForsakeTheTroops.info website died last night, according to a posting on his personal website.

Crook was allegedly beaten by persons upset with his site, and died as a result of those injuries.

As it mentions on the Troops site, today at 6:19pm EST, Michael Crook died at an area hospital as a result of head injuries sustained from an assault by people upset with his website.

Michael died with his wife, and baby present. He was 27. The assaulters are in custody.

I don't wish death on anyone, but it appeared that Crook sought confrontation - some of it violent - with his opinions and websites.

a Vietnam vet actually recognized me in public and approached me. He didn't threaten me, and was actually quite respectful. In all honestly, it seemed as if he was hurt by the site..he was blubbering some nonsense about losing friends in the conflict. I felt real good telling him off. He just slunk away. All talk, no action. Typical!

Oh, by the way..playtime's over..you'll notice that the contact methods are no longer available on the website. No more e-mail, no IM's, and the forums require my approval to join. You can no longer leave comments on this weblog, either. Playtime's over. I don't really care to hear about peoples' hurt feelings, nor do I care about anyone's opinion, really. What it comes down to is this: I am right, and everyone else is wrong on this matter.

Crook had just placed a new site up, ForsakeThePolice.info, with much the same sort of mean-spirited rhetoric, this time directed toward law enforcement across the nation. He apparently didn't have much opportunity to put much on that site before his demise.

His family has placed a contact telephone number on the site for media and condolences, and asks for privacy at this point (I won't post the number in respect for said privacy). But given Crook's attitude and mindset, I wouldn't be surprised if the family doesn't receive much in the way of sympathy.

UPDATE - 10:45A ET - No word of Crook's attack or death has been reported in local media in Syracuse, NY, Crook's home town. In addition, the telephone number listed on the website "has been changed" and points to a local web hosting service's phone number.

Could this be a publicity stunt on Crook's part?

UPDATE - 12:30P ET - Crook's personal website is still there, but mentions of his demise (notably the link above) have been removed.

His ForsakeTheTroops site still exists with the reports of death though.

No reports of the attack on Crook have appeared in Syracuse or New York state media outlets, which increases speculation that this is an idiotic, brain-addled attempt at faking his own demise.

UPDATE - 8P ET - Confirmed, via Marine Corps Times: "local police say no murder has occurred."

The site also says the two attackers were “taken into police custody.”

But officials with the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office in Syracuse told Army Times Tuesday that they have no record or knowledge of any such attack in the region.

A message left at the phone number listed on the Web site was not immediately returned.

The Web site has repeatedly posted disparaging comments about the military. Crook, the alleged blogger of the site, has said his main intent is to inform Americans that soldiers are paid too much for what they do.

Recently the site posted this: “Don't military pukes learn anything? Nine more Marines bite the big one in combat. Stupid is as stupid does!”

Now, I can say this. I hope this puke gets what's coming to him. I don't wish death on anyone, but I do wish a great deal of pain and suffering on Mr. Crook.

Posted by mhking at May 17, 2005 10:11 AM