WIKIMEDIA, SAGE ROSSComputer programming prodigy Aaron Swartz, an early developer of the popular social news site Reddit, was found hanged on Friday (January 11), in an apparent suicide in his New York City apartment. His untimely death came amid federal hacking charges claiming he had gained illegal access to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) computer networks and JSTOR—a subscription-only, online journal database—allegedly downloading 4.8 million scholarly articles and documents. Though he later returned the stolen files and JSTOR did not press charges, Swartz, 26, still faced criminal charges, up to 35 years in prison, and $1 million dollars in fines. Family and friends claim that the impending trial, which was set for April, and the potential penalties contributed to Swartz’s death. JSTOR has since released a public statement saying it “regretted” ever being involved in the case.

“He was a truly gifted person who made important...