Consequence of Chaos
The local music community was left stunned by the fatal shooting of a well-known musician who authorities say beat up his girlfriend and then tried to kick in a neighbor’s door in an apparent drunken rage.
{ Dallas News }
Jeffrey Carter Albrecht (June 23, 1973–September 3, 2007) was an American musician best known for his keyboard and guitar work in Edie Brickell & New Bohemians.
In the pre-dawn hours of September 3, 2007, Albrecht was shot and killed. After having some drinks with his girlfriend Ryann Rathbone at a Dallas bar, Albrecht became intoxicated. Rathbone drove him to her house, and they both took their dose of Chantix. A short while later, Albrecht began speaking incoherently, broke a drinking glass on a table, and hit Rathbone several times, something he had never done before. She ran outside, and Albrecht followed. Rathbone re-entered her home and locked the doors behind her.
Albrecht yelled and pounded on her front door in an unsuccessful attempt to reenter her house. He then went into a neighbor’s backyard, apparently mistaking their yard for Rathbone’s. The neighbor and his wife were awakened by the loud pounding and yelling at their back door. The husband told Albrecht to stop, but he did not; the man then claims he fired a “warning shot” through the door. The door was made a thick, opaque glass, and the porch was well-lit. The shot hit the 6′ 5″ Albrecht in the head, and he died at the scene. No charges were filed.
{ wikipedia }
The anti-smoking drug Chantix is to be investigated by the US Food and Drug Administration after reports linked it to suicidal and violent behaviour. It has been on the US market for 18 months.
The case of Carter Albrecht of Dallas, Texas, who was shot dead while trying to break into a house, has focused attention on the drug. Albrecht’s family say he was in a fit of rage at the time, which they link to his use of Chantix.
An autopsy showed that Albrecht had been drinking, and the FDA says that similar factors may explain the reports of violent or suicidal impulses from other users. Chantix is taken by smokers who have quit, and it has been claimed in the drug’s defence that the ensuing nicotine withdrawal symptoms may exacerbate any underlying psychiatric illness. But the FDA also notes that the side effects have been reported by Chantix users who have not stopped smoking and by users with no record of psychiatric illness.
{ New Scientist }
illustration { Niccolo Balce }
