Still No Clarity for Senseless Death in Dania

Of all the violent episodes that have occurred in Broward County in the past few weeks, the one that most defied explanation was the Dania Beach murder of Matthew Lennon, of Miami, by his friend Joseph Blanco, who then committed suicide.Last we heard, the incident started when another friend had...

By Thomas Francis

April 8, 2009

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Of all the violent episodes that have occurred in Broward County in the past few weeks, the one that most defied explanation was the Dania Beach murder of Matthew Lennon, of Miami, by his friend Joseph Blanco, who then committed suicide.

Last we heard, the incident started when another friend had an asthma attack that Blanco somehow mistook for a physical attack by Lennon on the friend. So Blanco shot Lennon to protect his friend.

But that didn't make sense. If they were all friends, how could Blanco possibly have suspected that Lennon was so intent on harming the friend that it required a gun to stop him? I hoped for a more complete explanation for the incident when the Baltimore Sun published this piece on Sunday. (Lennon is a Baltimore native.)

Apparently, there is no good explanation for the incident. Nothing except the obvious lesson that alcohol leads to impaired decision-making, which is why it's best to not have access to a handgun while drunk.

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