Jan. 22 marks dark anniversary of Budd Dwyer's public suicide

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In 1986, Pennsylvania State Treasurer Budd Dwyer was convicted of bribery and was to be sentenced to 55 years in prison.

The day before his sentencing, Jan. 22, 1987, Dwyer held a press conference where he maintained his innocence. Some stations were carrying the event live.

At one point during the news conference, Dwyer pulled out a .357 revolver from an envelope and took his life in front of the cameras.

Before he killed himself, Dwyer could be seen handing out envelopes to staffers. One of the envelopes had a suicide note for his wife. Another had a signed organ donor card.

Dwyer was 47 years old and had two children.

Before his time serving as the Pennsylvania Treasurer, Dwyer served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and then the Pennsylvania Senate. Before that, he was a social science teacher and football coach at Cambridge Springs High School in Crawford County.

The public suicide caught viewers off guard and set protocols in newsrooms on how to handle such tragic events.

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