The behavior of the media is being hotly debated in Colorado since the tragic death of former Denver City Attorney and one-time Denver District Court Judge Larry Manzanares. The 50-year old lawyer took his own life June 22^nd just hours after appearing in court on charges of stealing a government-owned laptop computer. Some of the Judge’s family and friends say the local media “sensationalized” the events leading up to his death. And perhaps somehow media coverage contributed to his decision to take his own life. What occurred here is a classic case of a media storm gaining strength to the point that the center of that storm, Larry Manzanares lost control. Unfortunately here the final outcome was the tragic death of a respected community member.

This sad episode followed a series of events that started in February of 2007 with the first reports of the theft of the computer. Tracking software led investigators to the former judge’s home where they discovered the missing computer. Manzanares claimed the he bought the computer from a stranger in a city parking lot. He resigned as City Attorney after the allegations were brought to light. (more…)