By Steve Huff

(Continued)

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At the moment no one seems certain as to how the fight between Stephen Austin and his younger brother Jon began, or what motivated such remarkable violence on Stephen's part. Some friends of the family have suggested that Stephen wanted their mother in a nursing home and the property she owned. Another suggestion in an internet discussion was that drugs may have been involved, and at infothief.org, Jon Austin did reference a website that contains entries describing the effects and sometimes preparation methods for various illegal substances:

"Countless people are sitting in prison for petty drug crimes, and most of the time it's because they either don't know the law, or how they'll react to certain chemicals. Go to Erowid.org if you need a fix. . ."

Discussions of this crime on the internet and in the media have skewed towards "Cain and Abel" comparisons and mistakenly, at least in one instance, focused on Jonathan's web presence as somehow pertinent to the act that took his life. Neither avenue seems to really touch on the basic underlying tragedy. Stephen Austin delivered a final crushing blow to a family that appears to have begun unraveling as far back as 1998. Jon Austin's web pages help bring him a bit more to life, and perhaps contribute to those who cared about him being able to remember him as he really was. They likely give no hint whatsoever as to the currents in the brothers' relationship, therefore can't be viewed as somehow explaining Jon Austin's murder. Jon Austin's web pages do, however, give a glimpse into a vibrant and creative life cut viciously short.

Perhaps nothing can really explain Jon Austin's murder, in the end.

Stephen Austin is being held without bail. He is in the Northampton County Prison, and under a suicide watch.

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