Convicted penny-stock spammer Eddie Davidson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, apparently after killing his wife and three year-old daughter in his home town of Bennet, Colorado, the US Department of Justice said on Thursday.
Davidson, age 35, walked away on Sunday from a federal prison camp in Florence, Colorado, the US District Attorney in Denver, Col. announced.
Davidson, who was sentenced to serve 21 months in federal prison, was officially in “escape” status. He was last seen in Lakewood, Colo. US Marshals were leading the search for Davidson with the aid of the FBI, IRS, and the Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force.
Davidson had been housed in a minimum security facility since May 27.
On April 28, 2008, Davidson had been sentenced by US District Court Judge Marcia S. Krieger to serve 21 months in federal prison. He'd been ordered to pay $714,139 in restitution to the IRS.
Authorities say Davidson made at least $3.5 million sending hundreds of thousands of spam e-mails to nearly 20 companies. He pleaded guilty to tax evasion and falsifying e-mail headers. On Tuesday Robert Soloway, 28, apologized in court for being a "nuisance" to computer users before being sentenced to 47 months in prison and ordered to forfeit more than $708,000.
Prosecutors showed that Soloway made more than $700,000 in sales of his spamming software between 2005 and 2007. However Soloway said he is deeply in debt and owes more than $17 million in civil judgments.
"I built my entire life around a façade. I'm very embarrassed and I'm ashamed," he told the court.