Adrian Lamo, Hacker Who Turned in Chelsea Manning, Found Dead

Adrian Lamo, the hacker who was arrested for hacking into The New York Times and Microsoft and who also turned Chelsea Manning in to the FBI, has been found dead.

Fox News reports that Adrian Lamo, the hacker that turned Chelsea Manning in to the FBI, and gained notoriety after hacking into both Microsoft and the New York Times, has been found dead in Kansas. Lamo was 37 at the time of his death. Sedgwick County spokeswoman Kate Flavin stated that Lamo’s body was being held in the morgue in Wichita while the Wichita Eagle reported that Lamo was found dead in his apartment in the area. Initial reports state that it is unclear how Lamo died, but Wichita Police Officer Charley Davidson stated that there was “nothing suspicious about his death.”

Lamo’s friend Lorraine Murphy told the Wichita Eagle that she spoke to Lamo in December 2016 and asked how he was doing, Lamo replied that he was “homeless in Wichita.” Murphy stated “Adrian was always homeless or on the verge of it. He bounced around a great deal, for no particular reason.” She continued to say “He was a believer in the Geographic Cure. Whatever goes wrong in your life, moving will make it better. And he knew people all over the country.” Murphy stated that Lamo often received death threats due to his hacking but Officer Davidson stated that there was “no indication foul play is involved in Lamo’s death.”

Manning was arrested in 2013 for the leaking of classified government documents. Manning served 7 years of a 35-year sentence as her sentence was commuted by President Obama. Manning was released from prison in May 2017. Manning has since announced plans to run in Maryland for the seat of Democratic Senator Ben Cardin. Lamo testified that Manning contacted him about his hacking skills after he was featured in an article published by the Guardian. Lamo stated that he thought about Manning “every day,” and that “the decision was not one I decided to make, but was thrust upon me.”

Lamo’s father commented on his son’s death on Facebook stating, “With great sadness and a broken heart I have to let know all of Adrian’s friends and acquaintances [sic] that he is dead. A bright mind and compassionate soul is gone, he was my beloved son.” Lamo was convicted of computer fraud after his arrest for hacking The New York Times and Microsoft in 2004.