Fort Detrick microbiologist Bruce Ivins committed suicide last week. At the time of his death, he was aware that a federal grand jury was preparing to indict him for the infamous anthrax attacks of 2001. Five people died after coming into contact with anthrax-laden letters and packages sent through the U.S. mail. A massive FBI manhunt was mounted to find the anthrax killer. That effort targeted former Detrick scientist Steven Hatfill for years. He was characterized as a "person on interest" by the FBI and the subject of intense scrutiny and negative publicity that disrupted his personal life and left his professional career in shambles. Last year, the government settled with Hatfill, paying him $5.8 million in compensation for the long, destructive ordeal to which he had been subjected.
Where will this latest turn in the anthrax case end? At this point, it's impossible to say. The FBI case against Ivins may be a lead-pipe cinch, but after the Hatfill episode, the public should be demanding hard, irrefutable evidence, and not simply suspicions based on circumstantial evidence.
The FBI has been under intense pressure to solve this case, and that pressure was evident in its handling of Hatfill. When Hatfill was finally disqualified, naming a new suspect was the name of the game. The FBI now appears to believe that Ivins was their man. But could they be as wrong about him as they were about Hatfill?
Detrick associates of Ivins, as well as neighbors, are incredulous that he could have committed this crime. Ivins' lawyer Paul F. Kemp echoes those sentiments, saying, "We are saddened by his death, and disappointed that we will not have the opportunity to defend his good name and reputation in a court of law. We assert his innocence in these killings, and would have established that at trial." None of this proves anything, of course, as criminals often have a public persona that belies their dark, secret one.
On the other hand, local health care provider Jean Duley, who was counseling Ivins, was granted a temporary peace order on July 24 after accusing him of stalking, threats and harassment. In addition, Duley alleged that Ivins' psychiatrist had described the scientist as "homicidal, sociopathic and with clear intentions" to cause harm.
Then again, one might reasonably wonder if a long-term FBI investigation, culminating in an impending federal grand jury indictment, could result in mental instability and irrational behavior. One might also wonder if that kind of pressure might even drive someone to suicide.
Did Bruce Ivins commit suicide because he was on the verge of being identified as the perpetrator of this notorious crime, or because he was hounded to it by an FBI investigation that wrongly zeroed in on him as the anthrax killer?
Only time and a thorough, impartial examination of the case against Ivins can reveal the truth. And even that may not do it. The worst possible outcome would be that Ivins' guilt or innocence is never irrefutably established and accepted by the public — and this case is never truly closed.
