An iconic author who shot his wife wrote, “I am forced to the appalling conclusion that I would have never become a writer but for Joan’s death.”

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Warning: This post mentions mental health issues, substance abuse, domestic violence, suicide, and animal death.

"And I just couldn't face the thought that she would take her life, and I would be to blame for that, which — it would have been far better, of course, if I could have found somebody who would have listened, who would have believed, and who could have prevented it. But in 24, 48 hours or whatever, and my parents distressed with their own situation, I didn't look for anybody. I didn't know where to turn. I didn't have other friends and contacts that I could go to, which doesn't make it right, but that was how it seemed to me at the time," she said.

Perry continued publishing books until her death in 2023.

Per NBC News, Judge Lidia Hojenska said, "The evidence gathered gives sufficient basis to say that Krystian Bala committed the crime of leading the killing of Dariusz Janiszewski. He was the initiator of the murder; his role was leading and planning it."

The crime was dramatized in the 2017 film Amok.

Afterward, there was a media storm, and Burroughs allegedly initially confessed. However, he later took his lawyer's advice and changed his story, claiming that the gun went off by accident while he was drunk and showing it to someone. His lawyer also reportedly used bribes to pay certain people off. The writer was only held in jail for 13 days.

Family in the US took in their two kids while Burroughs fought his case. However, a year later, there was another twist — both Burroughs and his lawyer fled Mexico after the lawyer killed a politician's son. Burroughs decided to go to South America in search of ayahuasca.

In absentia, he was given a two-year suspended sentence for manslaughter.

In the introduction of Queer, he wrote, "I am forced to the appalling conclusion that I would have never become a writer but for Joan's death. The death of Joan brought me into contact with the invader, the Ugly Spirit, and maneuvered me into a lifelong struggle, in which I had no choice except to write my way out."

Hunt told New York magazine, "What haunts me is not seeing beyond what I wanted and casually risking others. That's the act that defines me; something I didn't do, but failed to do: consider. I killed Joyce Austin, and I killed my brother and myself. There's a hole there that can't ever fill up."

Dial 988 in the United States to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The 988 Lifeline is available 24/7/365. Your conversations are free and confidential. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org. The Trevor Project, which provides help and suicide-prevention resources for LGBTQ youth, is 1-866-488-7386.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger as a result of domestic violence, call 911. For anonymous, confidential help, you can call the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE) or chat with an advocate via the website.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, you can call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) and find more resources here.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.