• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Heitman wrote suicide note before death, report says

Posted at 2:50 pm February 27, 2015
By John Huotari 35 Comments

Alexander John Heitman

Alexander John Heitman

Note: This story was last updated at 2:08 a.m. Feb. 28.

The cause of his death has been questioned for months, but information released Friday said a former Oak Ridge Schools employee found dead in Cocke County in July 2011 wrote a suicide note the day before he died.

Alex Heitman, 29, was the supervisor of business and support services for Oak Ridge Schools. Cocke County authorities said he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on July 25, 2011. The death was ruled a suicide.

But Heitman’s parents, Don and Annette Heitman, have been questioning since at least October 2013 whether their son’s death, which they call mysterious, was actually a suicide. They’ve been supported by a few residents and former residents and Oak Ridge City Council member Trina Baughn.

On Monday, a television station in Madison, Wisconsin, broadcast a story on Heitman’s death and his parent’s quest to find answers. In that story, Don Heitman said “we just don’t have the answers to prove that it was (suicide).” In that same story, Baughn said the information collected so far “points to something much bigger than a suicide.”

But Heitman’s widow, Kristie Heitman, told the TV station that she believes her late husband committed suicide, and she found what appears to be a suicide note on his computer after he died.

On Monday, the day of the TV story, Kristie Heitman sent a copy of that note to Oak Ridge Police Chief Jim Akagi “so the truth could be known,” the police chief said in a report released by the City of Oak Ridge on Friday.

The suicide note, which includes personal messages to family members, was written July 24, 2011, the day before Alex Heitman died. Heitman said he was depressed, and he hadn’t found anything to cure that feeling.

It wasn’t clear if Don and Annette Heitman or Baughn had previously seen the note, or if it would change their assessment. Oak Ridge Today was not able to reach the Heitmans via email or Baughn by phone on Friday evening.

Kristie Heitman’s mother also sent Akagi a copy of a receipt that showed Heitman had bought two boxes of ammunition with a credit card at a Knoxville Walmart at about 7:47 a.m. July 25, 2011. A second receipt showed Heitman had purchased sleeping pills using a debit card at a Walgreens store at 8:05 a.m. that day.

Kristie Heitman, who now appears to go by the name Kristie Kasperski, said Alex had also tried to rent out their home at one point and to rent their vehicles to strangers because he needed to generate money and was afraid he might lose his job.

“She advised this was evidence of him showing his panic and mental state,” Akagi said in the report released Friday.

It wasn’t immediately clear Friday afternoon if the release of the suicide note and the receipt showing Heitman’s purchase of shotgun shells on the day of his death will end months of speculation and suspicion on social media and occasional stories in media outlets as far away as London.

It’s also not clear that those who are skeptical of the official cause of death have coalesced around a single alternative explanation for how Heitman might have died. A blog devoted to the topic appears to reflect that uncertainty; it’s titled in the form of a question: “What Happened to Alex Heitman?”

The blog was set up by Don and Annette Heitman, who live in Adams, Wisconsin. They have asked the FBI to look into their son’s death, and they’ve asked Cocke County authorities to re-open the death investigation. Using Baughn as a Tennessee proxy, they’ve also requested records from Oak Ridge Schools, and they’ve retained local attorney Hugh Ward to help them.

The Heitmans say that nearly every official record associated with their son’s death contains errors, some of great significance. They also say that officials from multiple jurisdictions have been uncooperative with them in their quest for answers. And, among other issues, the Heitmans have raised questions about whether Alex might have “trusted the wrong person or identified someone that did not want to be identified.”

Supporters say the parents have been “stonewalled.” Among other things, they’ve expressed exasperation with what they suggest is a reluctance by East Tennessee officials to answer questions or release documents related to the case.

Kristie Heitman appears to have had a different experience, at least in Oak Ridge. She thanked Akagi for helping her and apologized that “this is such a mess.”

The Newport Plain Talk in Cocke County reported in June that the District Attorney’s office saw no reason to re-open the death investigation. William Brownlow Marsh, assistant district attorney general in Newport, said his office reviewed the Cocke County Sheriff’s Department report, and “it appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. That’s what the investigation and autopsy bears out. Most of the file is a public record.”

Marsh also said: “The only new evidence is that he (Alex Heitman) was under investigation for improprieties at work. His wife said he was depressed and worried about (that).”

In the report released by the city on Friday, Akagi said Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark also does not plan to re-open any investigation of this incident “as it was never classified as a criminal investigation.”

In response to requests, the Oak Ridge school system released a report last year that questioned some spending by Heitman between July 1, 2010, and July 25, 2011. But it’s not clear how serious those issues were, or if Heitman might have been able to offer an explanation.

Heitman’s parents have pressed for more information on the documentation that supports that report’s findings.

Don and Annette Heitman said their son had been cooperating with an investigation involving an alleged fraudulent check-cashing scheme perpetrated on the Oak Ridge school system bank account. But it’s not clear if any of the people involved in that alleged scheme were Oak Ridge Schools employees (Oak Ridge Today has received a report that they weren’t), or how many of the accused were convicted or pleaded guilty.

Alex Heitman had been employed with the Oak Ridge school system for two years. His wife was eight months pregnant at the time of his death and an Oak Ridge elementary school teacher.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

Copyright 2015 Oak Ridge Today. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed Under: Anderson County, Cocke County, Education, Front Page News, K-12, Oak Ridge, Police and Fire, Top Stories Tagged With: Alex Heitman, Alexander John Heitman, Anderson County District Attorney General, Annette Heitman, City of Oak Ridge, Cocke County, Cocke County Sheriff's Department, Dave Clark, Don Heitman, FBI, Jim Akagi, Kristie Heitman, Newport Plain Talk, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Schools, suicide, suicide note, Trina Baughn, What Happened to Alex Heitman

Advertisements


 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Education News

Learn why bugs are good

Submitted Every bug has a purpose. Did you know that very few caterpillars reach their mature size because birds gobble them down? It is estimated that one pair of chickadees must find 6,000 caterpillars to feed one … [Read More...]

Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats

A Secret City Academy student was charged with terrorism and other crimes after allegedly threatening to shoot people and use a bomb at the school on Friday, Anderson County's district attorney general said. This is the … [Read More...]

ORHS Masquers presents ‘Into the Woods’

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s extracurricular drama program, is presenting "Into the Woods," the Stephen Sondheim musical based on the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, in four performances this … [Read More...]

Roane State employees receive excellence awards

Four Roane State Community College employees have been recognized as winners of the prestigious Excellence Award bestowed by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development. NISOD has been named the … [Read More...]

Tennessee Holocaust Commission accepting student entries for 2022 contest

“The Holocaust is a lesson in human (and inhuman) history that took place because of hate, bigotry, indifference—all characteristics that know no bounds. These traits spread like wildfire. If we remain indifferent to … [Read More...]

More Education

More Police and Fire News

Man sentenced to 8 years after fleeing, crashing, attempting carjackings

An Oak Ridge man received an eight-year sentence Tuesday when he pleaded guilty to seven charges after fleeing from police on South Illinois Avenue four years ago, crashing, and attempting two carjackings in the Panera … [Read More...]

Three Ohio residents die in two-vehicle crash

Three Ohio residents died in a two-vehicle crash on Edgemoor Road at Old Emory Road in Claxton on Friday, July 22. The three Ohio residents were all in the same vehicle, a 2018 Honda CRV, and they were all from … [Read More...]

TBI investigating man’s death

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death of a 39-year-old man during an interaction with Oak Ridge police officers in the Hendrix Creek subdivision on Sunday afternoon. Oak Ridge Police … [Read More...]

Investigation under way in West Outer Drive house fire

Three people are safe after a house fire on West Outer Drive on Friday morning. Fire crews arrived on scene of the home, located at 687 West Outer Drive, within three minutes of the call, a press release said. They … [Read More...]

Rocky Top woman pleads guilty to murder, sentenced to life

An Anderson County woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder and aggravated robbery in the death of J.C. Copeland, an 83-year-old Rocky Top man, and she was sentenced to life in prison plus an extra 20 … [Read More...]

More Police and Fire

Recent Posts

  • ORAU launches new app with a variety of resources available, including hundreds of STEM internships, fellowships and research opportunities
  • Disposing of uranium waste could cost at least $7.2 billion
  • Y-12 now getting power from Pine Ridge substation
  • Man sentenced to 8 years after fleeing, crashing, attempting carjackings
  • Three Ohio residents die in two-vehicle crash
  • DOE picks Idaho for nuclear test reactor
  • TBI investigating man’s death
  • Luminarias to feature peace messages
  • Oak Ridge tennis court dance is Thursday
  • DOE bus tours restart in Oak Ridge

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2022 Oak Ridge Today