Sandy Hook father who died by suicide was ‘a beautiful human being’

Jeremy Richman father of Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting victim Avielle Richman addresses the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission, Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, in Newtown, Conn. Jeremy Richman father of Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting victim Avielle Richman addresses the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission, Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, in Newtown, Conn. Photo: Jessica Hill / AP Photo/Jessica Hill Buy photo Photo: Jessica Hill / AP Photo/Jessica Hill Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Sandy Hook father who died by suicide was ‘a beautiful human being’ 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

NEWTOWN — Jeremy Richman wanted the world to stop stigmatizing mental health, and treat the brain like any other organ that can be healed.

On Monday, the foundation Richman and his wife co-founded after their daughter was slain in the Sandy Hook massacre took up his mission, after the 49-year-old neuropharmacologist killed himself.

“Tragically, his death speaks to how insidious and formidable a challenge brain health can be and how critical it is for all of us to seek help for ourselves, our loved ones and anyone who we suspect may be in need,” read a statement from the Avielle Foundation.

“Our hearts are shattered, and our heads are struggling to comprehend,” the statement said, calling Richman “a crusader on a mission to help uncover the neurological underpinnings of violence.”

While a litany of local, state and federal leaders expressed their shock and offered their condolences over his death, friends and relatives of Richman were reviewing everything he has said recently to look for clues.

Six days ago at a Florida university where Richman gave a presentation about violence, compassion and the brain, for example, he told an interviewer that losing his daughter Avielle remained as traumatizing today as it was six years ago when she died with 25 first-graders and educators in one of the worst crimes Connecticut has ever seen.

“It’s such a shock to the system that you just feel displaced — like the world is spinning and you’re not, and you’re going to get thrown off and you have to find something to grip onto,” Richman said during a videotaped interview at Florida Atlantic University. “We wanted to prevent others from suffering the way that we were suffering, and continue to suffer to this day.”

Richman was found dead on the movie theater stage of the old Edmond Town Hall on Main Street, where the foundation had an office. He left a note, but police would not indicate what it said, stating that it was part of the investigation. An autopsy was planned Tuesday.

Richman’s suicide made national headlines in part because of his high profile as a Sandy Hook parent who was turning his grief into good, and in part because it came just days after two teenagers who survived the mass shooting at a Florida high school took their own lives.

In fact, while Richman was in Florida last week, he visited the parents of a teenager who was slain with 16 other students and staff in the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the Associated Press reported.

The extent to which the trauma of the mass shootings led the teenagers and Richman to suicide was unclear.

“None of us can fathom the enormity of loss (Richman) carried with him after the death of his beautiful daughter, Avielle,” said Newtown’s top elected leader, First Selectman Dan Rosenthal. “Please keep Jeremy’s family in your hearts and pray that they find some measure of peace that he is now with Avielle.”

After his daughter’s death, Richman and his wife Jennifer Hensel co-founded the Avielle Foundation to advance brain research into the roots of violence.

“The government really doesn’t fund research to understand violence — we react to it, primarily with incarceration” but not “as the disease that it is,” Richman told the interviewer last week at Florida Atlantic University. “It’s a disease of the brain ... we can study that in a medical fashion and make violence something you can prevent, mediate or cure.”

Leaders lament

U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal described Richman as their friend.

“This is awful, horrible, devastating news,” Murphy tweeted. “Jeremy was a good friend and an unceasing advocate for better research into the brain’s violence triggers.”

Blumenthal said Richman’s death was “simply devastating.”

“I was proud to call Jeremy a good friend, a dedicated father, an esteemed researcher and an outstanding human being,” Blumenthal tweeted. “He will be deeply missed by all that knew him.”

In a joint statement, state Sen. Tony Hwang and state Reps. Raghib Allie-Brennan, Mitch Bolinsky and J.P. Sredzinski said they were shocked and saddened by the tragic news.

“Jeremy’s accomplishments were an inspiration to many, and we will miss him,” the statement read.

U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes called news of Richman’s death heartbreaking.

“I recently met with Jeremy to learn about the Avielle Foundation, and was struck by how optimistic he was about the progress the foundation was making in understanding brain health,” Hayes said in a prepared statement. “He spoke about how the foundation’s investments have led to broader study of brain chemistry and violence.”

Gov. Ned Lamont tweeted that he and his wife, Annie, were heartbroken for the Richman family.

“Thoughts and prayers just don’t feel like enough in times like these,” Lamont said. “Words cannot even begin to express our sorrow.”

Kevin Hines, an author who travels the country to tell his story of surviving a suicide attempt, agreed.

“He was a hero of mine,” Hines said. “He was a beautiful human being.”

Shock waves

Because Richman’s death has the potential to retraumatize people affected by the Sandy Hook massacre, mental health experts were brought in for police officers, town employees and for the schools.

“Obviously, we are concerned for our community, and we are concerned for our police officers who responded who were also first responders on that tragic day,” Newtown police Lt. Aaron Bahamonde said.

The old Edmond Town Hall, which is not to be confused with the Newtown Municipal Center on Trades Lane where town offices are located, was closed Monday out of respect for Richman’s death.

Richman is survived by his wife and two children, and a foundation that he co-launched after a career in brain science and drug discovery.

He was among the parents suing Texas-based extremist Alex Jones for defamation.

Bahamonde stressed that the department is active in trying to prevent suicides.

“There is help out there,” Bahamonde said. “While many people do reach out and we are able to help, unfortunately, Mr. Richman didn’t reach out for whatever reason — God only knows.”

Those who are thinking about suicide or know people who need emotional support are encouraged to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The lifeline is free, confidential and available any time by calling 1-800-273-8255 or by visiting www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

Staff Writer Julia Perkins contributed to this article.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342