Missouri ‘Jewish Whisper’ Candidate’s Aide Also Commits Suicide
Less than a month after the suicide of Missouri’s state auditor, one of the official’s top aides has also been found dead in what appears to be a suicide, police said Monday.
Robert “Spence” Jackson, 45, was found dead Sunday evening in the bedroom of his apartment in Jefferson City, apparently having killed himself with a gun, Jefferson City police said in a statement.
Jackson was a veteran of Republican state politics and at the time of his death was embroiled in in-party fighting, having called for the resignation of the party’s state chairman.
His apparent suicide comes less than a month after his boss,
Missouri State Auditor Tom Schweich, also shot himself to death at his home in suburban St. Louis.
Schweich, 54, had been re-elected in November after serving for four years and announced in January that he would seek his party’s nomination for governor.
His death on Feb. 26 came after he had complained about the tactics of rival Republicans in the primary campaign.
Police said they were still investigating the circumstances of Jackson’s death. An autopsy is planned for Monday.
A spokeswoman at the Missouri State Auditor’s office said the office had no comment about Jackson’s death.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.