Adrian Rowland and One of His Sons During Happier Days
Source: Top News Today
When you think about Skype, you probably think about chatting with family, friends and loved ones who are away from home. Of course, this is how most people use the infamous Skype, an online webcam/telephone service that allows two users to connect for free from anywhere in the world.
Most of the time, these conversations between loved ones are sweet and have happy endings. Yet, when England native, Julie Zalinski, last spoke with her boyfriend, Adrian Rowland, via Skype, the ending was far from happy. According to her report, the 53 year old man killed himself in a delusional rage as her and her friend helplessly watched through the webcam in terror.
When interviewed by the local newspaper, Zalinski stated that her boyfriend, Rowland, was away on a business trip in New Dehli, India while they were engaged in their online conversation. She never expected what he did next.
After ranting about someone coming to get him and people being there with him that weren't, Rowland went into his kitchen, broke a glass over the table and then used the broken glass to stab himself directly in the neck. Afterwards, he held his wrists, full of blood, out in front of the camera so that her and her friend could see them- and he didn't stop there. He also slit his wrists and stabbed himself in the stomach.
Zalinski reported that she felt as if he wanted them to watch what he was doing and that he seemed completely out of his mind, suffering from a complete mental breakdown as she described. She also described his physical actions as that of a disillusioned man, sweating immensly and just staring with wide, still eyes- as if he were not even aware of the blood or injuries.
The Oxford Mail reports that a shocked Zalinski attempted to contact the New Delhi authorities through the U.K. authorities hoping that word would get passed along. She and authorities spoke with Rowland over Skype as they tried to pursuade him to wrap bandages over his wounds. Her attempts to save Rowland failed however, due to a law in India that would have been violated had the authorities forced their way into Rowland's flat.
Apparently, once the police arrived to his room, he would not let them in. Zalinski cried and pleaded with him to let them in, but according to her, he was convinced that there was someone other than the police outside his door that aimed to "Get" him. After waiting for awhile, the police gave up and left the premises, Rowland was simply left alone to die. 10 hours later, police were finally able to access the room and found Rowland lying there dead.
Zalinski and Rowland had been together for over two years when he left for his business trip to India. It was just 3 weeks after his departure from the U.K. when the Skype incident occurred. Rowland leaves behind 3 children from a previous marriage, all young boys. His cause of death is listed as massive blood loss from his self-inflicted injuries- Oxford Times
