Wood’S Suicide Just Added Despair

If you believe, as many people do, that Robert Wood killed his son Christopher for insurance money, and if you believe that a father killing his child is about the lowest a human being can stoop, then you probably thought “Good riddance” when you heard of Wood’s jailhouse suicide.

It’s a natural reaction. When a person is accused of a horrible crime and much evidence points to guilt, a suicide might seem an easier way out for everyone. It could be seen as an admission of guilt on the part of the suspect. Or a guaranteed way to make certain a guilty man does not go free. Or it can be seen as a quick end to a brutal tale.

But suicides always demand a closer, deeper look. They are never a good solution, even for a person dwelling in jail, society’s dead-end.

Instead of an easy solution, Wood’s suicide will inflict more pain. The justice system, as flawed as it sometimes can be, can also provide closure after tragedies. The rituals of jury selection, courtroom testimony, jury deliberation and sentencing sometimes provide the families - even the defendants - a place to talk out the horror. And maybe finally understand the whys.

The Spokane County prosecutor’s office is considering opening the files to the public to show the evidence police gathered against Wood. This is a good idea, because it might help with the closure.

Wood’s suicide also closed the door on any chance that Wood, if he was guilty, could face some dark facts about his own life. The movie “Dead Man Walking” was not simply the tale of a liberal, anti-death-penalty nun feeling sorry for a brutal murderer on death row. Sister Helen Prejean, by accepting and loving the murderer as a human being, allowed him to face up to the horror of his deeds. The movie, based on the true story of Prejean’s work, demonstrated that personal growth and redemption can go on in the unlikeliest of places, including prison.

Spokane County Jail officers are to be commended for worrying about four suicides in 13 months at the jail. They know better than anyone how - as absurd as it might sound - jail can be a community, too. And the loss of inmates through violence, either suicide or murder, is not good for the community.

None of this brings Chris Wood back to life. The 11-year-old boy’s death is the first and greatest sorrow. His father’s death just heaped more despair where it seemed no more could be piled.