The gripping article on Stephen Pitcairn was a very insightful testimony on how the senseless murder of a brilliant person with infinite potential can devastate a supportive family ("For Pitcairn's family, a journey from happiness to grief," Oct. 1).
The lesson to be learned is twofold: First, we should all be constantly appreciative and thankful of family members as precious life can be so fleeting; second, there are street level drug-addled opportunists in our cities in who will not think twice about snuffing out another's life for something so menial and insignificant as a cell phone and perhaps a smattering pocket change.
It's horrendously painful to grasp the fact that Mr. Pitcairn's mother listened on the phone as her son gasped for his final breath.
The phrase "wrong place at the wrong time" has never more apropos than the last minutes of Mr. Pitcairn's life. With his zeal for knowledge, his contributions to society could have been immeasurable.
I truly hope his surviving family members can eventually find peace in their hearts.
Patrick R. Lynch, Nottingham