Internet & TV Huckster Don Lapre Commits Suicide After Being Stripped Of His Antidepresants

I know I shouldn’t feel sorry for this as$hole, but I can’t help myself — the whole thing is just sad.

TV and internet con man Don Lapre, who was finally indicted by the Feds recently after years of defrauding people (ALLEGEDLY!) right out in the open, killed himself yesterday in his jail cell. But that’s not the sad part — the sad part is that, according to Lapre’s mother, is that her son was a manic depressive who took medication to ward off extreme lows and that authorities in Arizona had taken away whatever antidepressant meds he was taking to control it.

Law enforcement officials said a “large amount of blood” was found in the jail cell where Lapre was being held, and that the pitchman had committed suicide by cutting himself.

TMZ spoke to Lapre’s mother, Shirley Cleveland, who alleged that her son’s anti-depressant medication was taken from him when he was sent to jail. She also claims the father of two had attempted to commit suicide in the past. She told TMZ that when she learned that law officials had allegedly taken away his medication, she appealed to her son’s lawyer for help. Cleveland claims her son was given another medication eventually, but that it did not treat his depression.

God, couldn’t they wait until he was at least convicted of his crimes before taking his meds away? He was, after all, being held in jail while awaiting trial. Whatever happened to being presumed innocent until being proven guilty? And yeah, yeah, yeah, I know he was probably guilty, but still — the guy could have eventually served his time and turned his life around. It often takes some time, but people can change, believe it or not.

I suppose I’m feeling sympathetic because I made the mistake of going over and looking at the guy’s website, which is littered with photos of his “best friends” — his young children. I also viewed something that comes off as a bit of a suicide note in the form of a YouTube video that was posted by a group, Free Don Lapre, working to drum up support for him that also includes images of Lapre and his family. Sh*t got to me a bit, I think.

Now excuse me for a moment while I go back to being a cold, jaded, heartless f*ck.