Substance-abuse counselor accused in fatal DUI charged with murder
The substance-abuse counselor accused of killing a Torrance man while driving drunk was charged with murder Tuesday and faces life in prison if convicted, prosecutors said. Sherri Wilkins, 51, was scheduled to be arraigned sometime Tuesday on felony …
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Drug Counselor Accused of DUI in Deadly Hit-and-Run Pleads Not Guilty
A substance abuse counselor accused of crashing into a pedestrian and driving for about two miles with the victim embedded in the vehicle's windshield pleaded not guilty Monday in connection with the man's death. Sherri Lynn Wilkins, 51, was in court …
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Certified Alcohol Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC
We are currently looking for someone with strong verbal and writing skills, substance abuse work experience, good assessment & team player skills, able to make field visits, and has knowledge of child welfare policies and has preventive experience …
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Alcohol, drug counselor Brenda Wiewel helps change lives, one addict at a time
As executive director of Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse (L.A. CADA) Wiewel is passionate about saving lives and uniting families through the nonprofit's addiction counseling and "healthy living" services. For the licensed clinical …
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Substance-abuse counselor accused in fatal DUI charged with murder
Wilkins had a certification in drug and alcohol counseling and worked at a Torrance treatment center, where she led small-group classes six evenings a week. She wrote in an undated Myspace profile that she "used to be into drugs very heavy" and "with …
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Question by oblivious: how did elliot smith die?

Best answer:

Answer by iijakii
Elliott Smith died on October 21, 2003 in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California at age 34, from two stab wounds to the chest during an emotional fight with Jennifer Chiba. [16] According to her account, the two were arguing when she locked herself in the bathroom. Chiba heard him scream, and upon opening the door, saw Smith standing there with a steak knife in his chest. She pulled the knife out of him, after which Smith collapsed and she called 911. The time of death was listed at 12:18 PM. While originally reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in late December 2003 left the question of possible homicide open:
While his history of depression is compatible with suicide, and the location and direction of the stab wound is consistent with self-infliction, several aspects of the circumstances (as are known at this time) are atypical of suicide and raise the possibility of homicide. These include the absence of hesitation wounds, stabbing through clothing, and the presence of small incised wounds on the right arm and left hand (possible defensive wounds). Additionally, the girlfriend’s [Jennifer Chiba’s] reported removal of the knife and subsequent refusal to speak with detectives are all of concern.

According to the coroner’s report, the alleged suicide note, written on a Post-it, read, I’m so sorry – love, Elliot. God forgive me. The misspelling of “Elliott” was later acknowledged as a mistake on the part of the coroner. Robin Peringer, one of the singers few close friends towards the end of his life, says that Smith was a “cutter”, which would help explain the “possible defensive wounds.” Fritz Michaud, an engineer during the Basement sessions, claimed that “Elliott literally wouldn’t have been caught dead without his shirt on,” possibly explaining why the stab wounds penetrated his shirt (something extremely uncommonly seen in stabbing suicides).

His death has not been officially declared a suicide, and the investigation into his death continues, although almost no new information at all has publicly come to light since 2003.

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