The anonymous Wikipedia editor who sparked an internet mystery by posting information about the death of pro wrestler Chris Benoit's wife 14 hours before police learnt of the double-murder suicide has revealed what really happened.
Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their seven-year-old son, Daniel, were found dead in their Atlanta home on Monday afternoon (US time).
Police believe the 40-year-old - whose nicknames included the Rabid Wolverine and the Canadian Crippler - strangled his wife and son on either Friday or Saturday and placed Bibles next to their bodies before hanging himself from a cable on his weight machine.
But in a bizarre twist, reports surfaced this morning that Benoit's Wikipedia page had been altered by Wikipedia users in the US and Australia to include details about his wife's death 14 hours before police found the bodies.
Wikinews this afternoon received correspondence from a person using a computer with the same unique internet protocol address from which the first edit to Benoit's Wikipedia page was made.
"I posted the comment we are all talking about and I am here to explain that it was A HUGE COINCIDENCE and nothing more,'' the poster said, declining to reveal their identity, "so I can keep me and my family out of this since they have nothing to do with anything".
The first edit to Benoit's Wikipedia page was in regard to a competition he was due to take part in at the weekend.
"Chris Benoit was replaced by Johnny Nitro for the ECW Championship match at Vengeance, as Benoit was not there due to personal issues, stemming from the death of his wife Nancy,'' the anonymous editor wrote.
That post has since been traced to a location in Stamford, Connecticut, where WWE has its headquarters.
About an hour later, the post was taken down by a Wikipedia moderator, who said: "Need a reliable source. Saying that his wife died is a pretty big statement, you need to back it up with something.''
Then, an hour later, a second anonymous editor added more information about Benoit's no-show, saying: "... which according to several pro wrestling websites is attributed to the passing of Benoit's wife, Nancy."
The edit has since been traced to a computer hooked up to the Australian-based wireless internet service provider Unwired.
The Herald understands that the computer belongs to a Sydney resident.
Wikinews said Cary Bass, a volunteer co-ordinator for the Wikimedia Foundation, informed Atlanta police about the unusual edits.
"It didn't become apparent until someone put the pieces together and realised that the comment was made by someone who apparently knew about the murders," Wikinews quoted Bass as saying.
The person who posted the explanation on Wikipedia this afternoon said they had heard Benoit had failed to appear at a wrestling competition because of a "family emergency'' and had found rumours and speculation online, one of which was that his wife may have passed away.
"I did the wrong thing by posting it on Wikipedia to [sic] spite there being no evidence. I posted my speculation on the situation at the time and I am deeply sorry about this, and I was just as shocked as everyone when I heard that this actually would happen in real life.
"That night I found out that what I posted, ended up actually happening, a 1 in 10,000 chance of happening, or so I thought.
"I was beyond wrong for posting wrongful information, and I am sorry to everyone for this ... I just posted something that was at that time a piece of wrong unsourced information that is typical on wikipedia, as it is done all the time.''
The person went on to say they were "stunned'' and "saddened" that what they wrote actually turned out to be true.
The person said they were not connected with WWE or Benoit in any way.
"I am just an everyday individual who posted a wrongful remark at the time that received so much attention because it turned out to actually happen.
"I will say again, I didn't know anything about the Benoit tragedy, it was a terrible coincidence that I never saw coming.
"Let this end this chapter of the Benoit story, and hopefully one day we will find out why this tragedy ever actually happened.''Source : http://www.theage.com.au
____________________________________________________________
To subscribe (FREE) : HERE
View us logon at
http://worldtopnews.blogspot.com
Read Business Articles for Free
Malay's Blog
Interest In Investment ?
Read Before Seriously Involved In HomeBusiness
No comments:
Post a Comment