Man Faked Webcam Suicide in Overseas Chat Room, Police Say
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Authorities say an upstate New York man has been arrested on charges he used a Webcam to stage a fake suicide, upsetting chat-room viewers overseas.
Joseph Shepherd was arrested Sunday and charged with aggravated harassment and falsely reporting an incident. State police say the 21-year-old told investigators a breakup with his girlfriend prompted him to carry out the recent hoax.
A trooper says Shepherd lay on a bed at home in Lockport near Buffalo and played dead after pretending to slit his wrists. Alarmed chat-room viewers alerted police in Gwent, England, who contacted Interpol, and authorities traced Shepherd's computer.
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It wasn't clear if Shepherd enlisted an attorney. Calls to Lockport town hall went unanswered Monday.