Bill Sparkman Murder: Tragic Details About Census Worker Found Hanged

William E. Sparkman Jr. was a 51-year-old single father who once battled Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma while he pursued his teaching degree, according to a March 2008 article profiling the London, Kentucky man.

Sparkman worked two jobs while he earned his degree and was treated for cancer.

Sparkman worked as substitute teacher and a census taker for the U.S. Census Bureau. He was found dead Sunday, Sept. 13, with the word "fed" scrawled onto his chest, according to a law enforcement source.

Online commenters at Topix.com talked about Sparkman's death after his body was found. Some said that they knew Sparkman and one even said that he was a cousin. They wondered what really happened to the Kentucky man:

Newsjunkie: "Any new news about this death? The autopsy should have been complete by now. I read somewhere else that his truck was found in a different location. If this was a homicide, I hope they soon find the person responsible for it. My sympathies to his family and friends."

According to The Sentinel-Echo, Sparkman moved to Laurel County, Kentucky as part of a work assignment for the Boy Scouts of America. He was a father to his son Josh.

"When I moved here, my son was about to enter elementary school," he said. "He was having some difficulties."

Sparkman enjoyed the volunteering and quickly became interested in education. He was eventually offered a position as an instructional assistant, which he accepted.

Sparkman worked as an assistant for nine years before enrolling in online classes from online Western Governor's University.

WGU even profiled Sparkman and his inspiring story on their web site. Sparkman earned his bachelor degree in mathematics education and was invited to speak at his commencement in February 2008. The school has since added a note about Sparkman's death on the profile of the former student.

Kentucky TV station WYMT reported Sparkman's death on Sept. 15.

Watch WYMT's report:

Comments

[Cantinflas]

05:57 PM on 09/27/2009

Hopefully, the FBI will launch a major manhunt for the people who murdered this poor man, along the lines of the murder of the three civil rights workers in Mississippi in the sixties.

[cork6142]

10:12 AM on 09/26/2009

Here is a forum from clay county ky where the locals "discuss". You have to read this to believe it!! I've never seen such blatant racism, trailer talk trash etc. They have already got this case solved. They say it was 2 young guys who ran a meth lab.

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/manchester-ky

[Liralen]

03:44 AM on 09/27/2009

Thanks for the link. I read the entire thread about the murder.
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/manchester-ky/TQGJ7TDNKODRGMB1G

The vast majority are appalled. Most of the locals assumed Mr. Sparkman wandered into illicit activity and was killed for it.

Quite a few express admiration for him and mourn his death. They soundly trashed a local who believed that the victim was a drug dealer.

I have not seen any evidence yet to support hate crime theories, although like I said before, it was my first thought, until I thought about it some more.

By the way, I have a bias. I'm a racial, ethnic minority, non-Christian for most of my life, Democrat who voted for Obama, who has lived in Kentucky for over 50 years, and I love it here.

[Liralen]

04:32 AM on 09/26/2009

My first reaction was "so here it starts. Rightwinger's going nuts".

But then I noticed where it occurred. I have lived in Kentucky for over 50 years. I like to hike, but I know better than to stray from beaten paths. Because the descendents of the moonshiners now grow marijuana. See for example, http://www.sodahead.com/other/you-are-hiking-and-you-find-marijuana/question-190734/ and http://www.adventure-space.com/forums/t/1171.aspx

So I will wait and see what evidence turns up before making any conclusions.

[liberalNmoderation]

08:43 AM on 09/28/2009

Why can't people see that the two aren't mutually exclusive?
Not everything is black and white.

[Cookieman62]

09:38 AM on 09/25/2009

Update:

The Washington Post is reporting that the police do not believe that Mr. Sparkman was killed because he worked for the Federal Government.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/24/AR2009092404690.html

It looks like all the conspiracy theories that blame the right wing have all gone up in smoke.

[GiveUsFree]

02:24 PM on 09/25/2009

bull

[TheMightyJobu]

10:25 PM on 09/28/2009

Actually, they're reporting that they don't know that it was. Big difference.

[macweenie]

12:01 AM on 09/25/2009

So Bachman got the first scalp - I would have guessed Limbaugh.

[Garioch]

10:51 PM on 09/24/2009

I did a search on the bloke yesterday and he seems like one of these people who is almost too good to be around the rest of us.

[Daggett76]

09:14 PM on 09/24/2009

http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/949349.html

"Sparkman had a rope around his neck that was attached to a tree, but he was not hanging in the sense that many people envision that, she said.
Sparkman's body was in contact with the ground, state police said in a news release."

For a suicide, that's a real awkward to kill oneself...

[DixieMelody]

01:36 AM on 09/25/2009

I did a Google search and studies reveal that some 60% of suicides by hanging involve feet / knees being in contact with the ground.

Three deaths by hanging that fit that description and come to mind because they were in the news fairly recently are:

Ryan Jenkins (Jasmine Fiore's husband).
David Carradine
Deborah Jeane Palfrey (DC Madam)

But things I am reading about information "leaking" out are inferring that it is a Carradine type "accident" and that there was no writing ("FED" or other) on his body.

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/uncategorized/suicide-not-ruled-out-for-dead-census-worker-he-was-in-contact-with-the-ground/

[poorpearl]

12:32 AM on 09/26/2009

Eyewitnesses report that he was found naked, with feet and I believe arms bound with duct tape, eyes covered with duct tape, gagged, and his census worker ID taped to his neck. I don't see how anyone would still want to claim this was a suicide.

[Daggett76]

12:47 AM on 09/26/2009

New details: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/25/bill-sparkman-found-naked_n_300659.html

Your facts may be right, and I appreciate to have learnt something, but it seems this wasn't and accident.

[incognito-ergo-sum]

08:46 PM on 09/24/2009

This evening I endured about 10 minutes of Micheal Savage. He described a world that does not exist. In his world, the top Democrats are terribly afraid of the monster they have loosed on this country because he will destroy the Democratic party and the U.S.A. Savage called for V.P. Biden to step forward and save the country.

Savage played the sound of the video of the children singing about President Obama, this he said is worship of the messiah, it is like the Hi tler youth.

If Savage believes 100% of what he said today, the man is psychotic.

Neurotics build castles in the sky, and psychotics live in them. Savage is living in one and his tone is hateful, frightened, and deadly in the wrong ears.

We are in the beginning of the acting out phase of all this infused hatred.

[larry278]

11:10 PM on 09/24/2009

Dod Gamn, Savage has a high opinion of himself. Mr Savage could be surprised if it were to be found that there a couple of million dollars difference between what he thinks that he is worth & his actual value or worth is in reality

[pepper47]

01:22 AM on 09/25/2009

Savage is an actor, with a stage name. Check his bio...Berkly grad, worked for Timothy Leary, was infactuated with Allen Ginsberg. He slams everything that he was during the first half of his life. It's a better paycheck for him now, that's all he is about !

[jukesgrrl]

07:36 PM on 09/24/2009

HuffPost, please don't move this story down to the bottom of the page. We need daily updates on this case, even if the update is "nothing new today." The FBI needs to know that citizens really care about this senseless tragedy.

[Cookieman62]

07:29 PM on 09/24/2009

Here is a link to an update on the case.

http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/949349.html

It turns out that the description given that he was hung is wrong. Turns out that the census computer was not in his truck. Police are not even sure that he was even working at time.

[Loveforlife]

07:59 PM on 09/24/2009

Thanks for the update. My heart goes out to his son.

[neige]

08:30 PM on 09/24/2009

Just because they did not find a computer in his truck does not mean he was not wworking. Maybe whoever did this took the computer.

Why was the word Fed branded on his chest? That is what I would like to know. All these other possible scenarios pr possibilities don't matter. The fact that he is dead and has those three letters are on his chest is all I need to know.

[Cookieman62]

09:29 PM on 09/24/2009

neige wrote: "Why was the word Fed branded on his chest?"

Having roots in the south, one word comes to mind. Revenuers. Just 45 miles away from Clay County, a drug dealer had the local sheriff (Sam Catron) killed in broad daylight. It is not uncommon for people to kill to protect their illegal activities.

A few years ago, I started going back south to the "home place" where my great grandfather had his farm. Having lived in the north all my life, I didn't know much about the south, and bootlegging. Before I left, my mother gave me warning. Don't get of the main roads, don't go on private property unless you are invited. You don't what people are doing, and don't know how they are going to react to stranger's, especially if they are breaking the law. They may very well shoot first and ask questions later.

When I first heard about this story, that was the first thing that came to mind. What did he see that he shouldn't have.

Here is another article about Mr. Sparkman's death.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jbzG_BlkG2Hfc818EPRRn1bBlP6gD9ATVMKG2

[charlow1]

07:08 PM on 09/24/2009

I am so sorry for his family and extend my condolences to his son and mother. He was doing work to benefit our country and as such, deserves a hero's burial and a posthumous medal of honor. His death at the hands of cowardly radical conservatives is as bad as if he had died in an IED bombing in Iraq or Afghanistan. Let us start a movement to get this man properly honored for the constitutionally mandated work he was doing when he was so brutally killed in the line of duty to our country.

I believe our 2010 census workers face a high threat level, even though they are only doing work that our Constitution mandates. Without the census, we have no representative government. With this incident so early on in the 2010 process, I believe that we will have difficulty recruiting people we need to get that job done.

There are a lot of people out there who have been so sufficiently aroused by the irresponsible radical right that they will not want to be counted, and I am not talking about the usual homeless people that the census usually has difficulty finding. It's our own aunts, uncles, parents who have been led to believe that our federal government and our President are out to get them. This is completely shameful and detrimental to our having the civil society that is necessary for democracy to work. To those who have made this happen, shame on you!!!

[jukesgrrl]

07:33 PM on 09/24/2009

I totally agree with everything you said. Yesterday I told someone, "There should be a statue of this man put in front of the Commerce Department." I'm serious. He needs that level of respect. I assume he was already laid to rest and I'm said if it wasn't done with full Federal government honors.

[SonofLiberty1]

06:06 PM on 09/24/2009

I understand angry. What I don't understand is why the anger is directed at those that are just trying to get by? Why not direct the anger to Republicans because they are at fault?

Why not direct it to Congress in some legal form?

They just don't get it....

[Owlygirl]

07:04 PM on 09/24/2009

Never will. They don't want to learn, grow or change. Unfortunately, it becomes a thorn for the rest of us because of the problems they cause and children they raise to think (and behave) just like them.

[Littlewords]

07:17 PM on 09/24/2009

Some are delusional quickly swallowing bait on messages like conspiracy theory messages from leaders while compromised on the ability think rationally or apply basic analytical logic and common sense. Such individuals can be dangerous, both to themselves and especially to others.

We as a nation need to remain vigilant against leaders/politicians that drive conspiratorial or fear based messages to gin up fear based emotions. Our leaders are educated and informed enough to realize the far reaching implications of giving incendiary messages and rhetoric aimed to "scaring" mass groups of people.

Some on the right went way over the top with the purpose, mission, and task of the census process....recent hyperbole from Rep Bachmann comes quickly to mind as a clear case in point.

[maddiemom]

06:05 PM on 09/24/2009

Some thirty years ago, we lived in London, Kentucky while my then husband was managing a coal company in Clay County. The county sheriff at that time advised him to always carry a weapon and not to travel alone in the (largely) rural areas of the county. He traveled with a co-worker, an ex cop who was well armed. Unscathed during his employment,we we were happily leaving the area(although London was really a nice, friendly town) when a clerk working one evening called to say he was pinned down in the office by a gunfire by a number of apparently disgruntled employees. The situation was resolved with no injuries, but the cause was never fully established.

[Owlygirl]

08:14 PM on 09/24/2009

How frightening! Your poor husband - and you having to worry for and about him. :( Thirty years ago and what has really changed, one wonders?

It seems so unreal. Like another planet. I want to say to these freaks, "Go move to another planet, whackjobs!" They're like a dangerous strain of bacteria.

[barriosbabe]

09:58 PM on 09/24/2009

Gosh!

[biabouman41]

06:03 PM on 09/24/2009

Was this tradegy caused by Bedk and Backman??

[amaboss52]

05:33 PM on 09/24/2009

Seems like someone took Bachman seriously? My heart goes out to his family, his son, friends and co-workers.