No doubt he was guilty of something, but was he the most deserving of prosecution? It's amazing that the AG and US Attorney could never even file a charge against 'Pucky' Harwood. Congrats - he essentially got the death penalty.

Regardless of his crime (which, in reality, selling a piece of land for far cheaper than its worth is at the bottom of the barrel), my heart goes out to his family. I feel sorry he chose to do this.

Too bad and any comments expressing glee should be strickened. Too find oneself in a terrible situation caused one or a series of mistakes is to feel hopeless. I did not know the man, do have heard of his many kindnesses and acts of charity while he was a lawyer.

I feel sorry for his family. It is unfortunate that he chose such a route rather than pay his debt to society.

h4sho

His poor family. Perhaps others involved should have been held as responsible. As citizens, we should be DEMANDING that our state and munincipalities are run more like a business, and hold them accountable....it might stop elected officials and employees from the temptation of greed and "who you know" mentality in this state. Maybe this man would have not had to take his own life over money. What a shame

"This is a tragedy upon a tragedy"? Is Lynch saying that the guilty verdict was a tragedy?

The tragedy was how long it took for this case to be adjudicated and justice served (which we KNOW would have been delayed more by umpteen appeals which are deriguer by the wealthy politicians in RI). This guy was a crook and a theif who was CAUGHT ON TAPE yet had the audacity to deny it. He thought he could abuse the legal system to his advantage to get away with his undeniably illegal actions.

I'm not merciless, I do feel for his family. But this was all his own doing. He took the bribe, he abused his position. He could have pleaded out to a lesser charge years ago, but noooo, in his arrogance he thought he could outsmart the legal system.

Lets not portray this guy as anything other than the lying theif he was who was too cowardly to face the consequences of his own actions.

It's not surprising to anyone in the state of R.I. they could not find anything on Harwood ( pucky Harwood ) They all run in the same Circle,They would much rather spend there time chasing the little guy around just to show they are doing their Jobs. Well fine job guys hope you can sleep tonight....When will this State have true Justic for ALL ?

I am so sorry that Mr. Oster felt so desperate. My heart goes out to his family. Many people make bad choices in life but that does not make them bad people. May he rest in peace.

A fellow Rhode Islander

I feel sorry for whoever found him in his office and had to call 911 this morning. That is pretty horrible for them.

Another tragedy. I am reminded of the Lincoln Park trial... those two men are still serving their sentence....and they TOOK NO MONEY...This poor man probably looked at the injustice of what happened to those two men, and figured he would die in jail... instead he did it on his terms.
God rest his soul

As I realize justice must be served, this is just a tragedy. Mistakes in life does not consitiute a bad person. Knowing the Oster family on somewhat a personal level I can say that they are good people. My heart goes out to all of them. Rest in peace Jonathan.

By taking his own life, Jon has punished himself more than any judge could have done. While a convicted wrong, in of itself, may not be rationalized, and should not be, it is not the only definition of a man, whose caring was real and whose accomplishments were many. There are none among us who have achieved moral superiority and there are none among us who should not feel anything but saddeness about this tragic event. For those of us who have had some passing acquaintance with his good deeds, his late Dad and some of his family, they should know that there are those who are truly sad and grieved by Jon's death. In the bigger moral picture, he was a good man, who will be missed.

To put his family through this, rather than accept the consequences of his actions an move on. The ultimate selfish act.

Indeed, this is a tragic ending. If a suicide note wasn't left by Mr. Oster, one can only speculate why Mr. Oster killed himself. One theory is that he couldn't handle a prison sentence of any sort. My condolences to the Oster family and all of his loved ones.

It is a shame Mr. Oster was convicted, for having bad friends. Sounds like he was the fall guy for you know who. The guy with the lenghty criminal record. How could a jury find Mr Oster guilty of anything. If he accepted the bribe, was watched, caught, were was the investigation??

I love all the people who say "My heart goes out for the family." Who cares, you don't know them, and he brought this misery upon them once, and then again now, geniuses. The other one I love from all the Einsteins here is..."He made mistakes." Forgetting to pay your bills is a mistake.....Taking bribes is a criminal act that one chooses to partake in....People's intellectual and moral lack of understanding these differences explains why we will become a third world country soon....

My heart goes out to the family for thier loss. He obviously was remorsefull for his actions. To the person who said some comments shhould be striken.. No they should not as the death of many soldiers would be a waste defending our constutional rights to free speech.

Instead of accepting his white-collar crime punishment (how long could he have really gone away for anyway?) and eventually returning to his family, he instead sentences his family to a lifetime of heartache and pain.

Very sad.

When something happens to a family in the Town of Lincoln we all feel it. Today, a family in our community is mourning a heartrending loss of a loved one. This is not justice.

My thoughts and prayers are with Jon and his family and with everyone who had a role in this tragic ending. Life is precious. Wasn't it enough that a man's name was tarnished and his work as a public servant ended?

Please, take care of yourself, take care of your loved ones and take nothing for granted.

Why was he set free, anyway, when he had already been found guilty? I would have thought that he would be considered a high flight risk. Or was it so that he could take the 'honorable' way out, as he did?
And count me as another head-scratcher, wondering why so many other lying, thieving, stealing snakes-in-the-grass in this state manage to get away with their schemes for so long, always at the taxpayers' expense. But you do have to feel bad for this sacrificial lamb, the poster child of public pillaging.

My heartfelt condolences to the Oster family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you, during this difficult time. Jonathan has been a friend of our family for many years and well respected. He was a good man and will be missed. We are so sorry for your loss!!

I knew Jon Oster. I'm a lifelong resident of Lincoln and a registered Republican while Mr. Oster ran as a Democrat.

I'll tell you this: he was a damn fine lawyer. I went to him many years ago because my (now ex) boss and (now ex) mentor was sexually harrassing me on the job.

I never pursued a lawsuit and Mr. Oster didn't pressure me to do so. He gave me several hours of his time (a gratis consultation as attorneys do with the first visit) and I left his office secure in knowing that that man would protect my rights should I ever need him to represent me in a lawsuit.

I intend to keep him and his family in my prayers tonight.

Sad. He was a good advocate for his clients. My condolances to his family.

As per our voice mail message left with the Editor. This office and our entire staff are horrified by the manner this paper has documented Mr. Oster's tragic circumstance. Words cannot express our sorrow extended to his family, friends and clientele. To leave us all with the indelible picture of his gurney is unforgivable. All of you involved should be ashamed for such morose journalism. A picture of him, one even taken at trial, would have been more appropriate while conveying some sense of compassion. Such heartless renderings do nothing to sell print, but further the public's disdain for your newspaper.

Sometimes when people get these town and city jobs it goes to their heads. They walk around thinking they're better than anyone else. They forget where they came from. I don't know about Mr Oster But I've witnessed this many many times, even in good ol Lincoln. They tend to think that they can do whatever they want and get away with it because as their statement goes "Do you know who I am?" He should have admitted guilt in the first place and did the time but was too proud. So this is the resulting end. His family has to live with this forever.

Lets not pass judgment on people we don't know. We have no idea why this man would take his own life it could be that he thought he would somehow be helping his family. We should all read this and learn from this mans mistake. Maybe this happened so people will think twice about making bad choices. We all make mistakes and one mistake is not a measure of a mans life. We need to have more compassion for each other and yes even for people we don't personally know. My hope is that this mans life becomes a lesson and I hope that his family can find peace.

So what. Here we have another typical politician from Rhode Island. Nothing unusual about what he did. Make a fast buck, then try to beat the system. he was a lawyer. He knew the difference between right and wrong. He chose to do the wrong thing. He was found guilty of committing a crime. Sure I feel bad for his family, but, he was the one that put them in this situation, and ultimately left them hanging out to dry.
He didn't care enough about them to be a stand up guy, take his punishment like a man, then come back and try to salvage a life as a convicted criminal.
He was a loser. Good riddance.

I feel sad right now. Jon made some terrible choices that were criminal in nature. That said, I do believe he had a good heart and consider myself blessed for knowing him for a short period of time. Rest your soul Jon for I'm sure there has been much torment over the past few years. You'll be on my mind over the years every now and then and I'll smile knowing that we shared in some good moments. For his family... I can only pray that this pain you must feel fades into memories of happier times.........

Some of you posters are truly rude. It most be the way you live your life. You should have been taught when you were children, that if you have nothing good to say about the departed, then don't say anything. I hope you children don't end up like you.

I think it's appalling that some of the previous comments have been filtered through.

Suicide, by anyone, for any reason, is a tragic event. My deepest sympathies to the Oster family.

To anyone who has anything negative to say about Jon, understand this.. " that no one cares about your opinions.." to those of us who were close to him and knew him well, he will remain in our memories as a good family man and friend.. and in time the truth will prevail..

Rest in Peace Jon.. and to his family and friends, how fortunate were we to have him in our lives..

the picture at the top of this article should be removed immediately. seeing that picture is absolutely gruesome and horrific. there is no reason it should be up here.

I wish that all who feel the need to tag Jon as "corrupt", "arrogant" and, in his manner of death "selfish", please reflect for a minute as to the overwhelming shame, aguish, fear and desperation he must have felt in his final hours. Then reflect for a couple of seconds how his grieving widow must feel to read your comments. Your opinions may have validity but, really, is there any point to airing your contempt for this man even if it contributes to the misery of a family in pain?

Dearest Oster Family, please know that you are in my prayers and please accept my sincerest sympathy for the tragedy that transpired. May Jonathan find eternal peace.

People are complaining about insensitive comments being made here. Well, the guy was a crook who took the easy way out. How do you spin that with gratuitous niceties? And the topper is a "lawyer" who said the photo on the gurney was innappropriate. A lawyer telling us what is innapropriate. I agree with him to a certain extent. But what is innaprpropriate, is this crook offed himself in his office, leaving employees to find the mess. So even in death he was inconsiderate.

To all of you who feel that your own lives are so perfect that you can pass judgment on a man you've never met...shame on all of you. I knew Jon Oster personally and although I disagree with his actions I knew him only as a good man who loved his family. Until you have lived his life and understand all his decisions, the least you vultures could do is let his family deal with the tragedy they face and not bad mouth a man they loved and you did not know.

Well, "Lincoln," if he was as loyal to his family as you claim, why today's horrifying decision? Suicide is not the hallmark of a generous, loving family man. I'd tell you what it IS, but that wouldn't make it through the censors.

I feel sadness for his family. I believe his taking his own life was a cowardly selfish act.

Dear Providence Journal employees, would you like that image to be shown if it was your father?

The whole affair is very sad, when he was elected I thought it was a moment of hope a new beginning, after years of being ruled. It's very sad the way it ended for the residents of this wonderful town and the Oster family.

God bless you and your family. Rest now Jon. You are in God house and fear not for he is holding you in is loving arms

I don't know the Oster family at all, but I agree with those who are appalled by the photograph of Mr. Oster's body on the gurney. PLEASE remove that from this site. I hope we won't be seeing it in the print newspaper tomorrow. Absolutely unnecessary, a stab in the heart to Oster's family, and unworthy of our Journal.

This newspaper really ought to rethink the policy that allows comments to be posted on news articles similar to this sad end to a situation way too common in the public service. Some news pieces should be left to stand on their own, devoid of unnecessary input from the angry would-be pseudo opinion columnists that seem to hunt the Journal for a forum. In my opinion, this is one of them.

True to form, many of the mean-spirited messages here are left without a name tagged to them. Free speech isn't just providing the rest of us with a writeup of what you think. Free speech is putting your name next to what you think. Such an action constitutes standing behind what you write.

All of this makes me wonder what brillaint insights your readership provided that did not make it into print!

We at the Daggettwood Policy Institute ask that ProJo please consider revising their policy.

Post its like this one make it very easy to see that some people have no class and lack any style. The man choose to take his life. He chose to do that. So be it. Rest in peace John. To the know it alls out there who only see the pucky Harwoods and whatever, for once please keep your mouths shut.

We can only thank Gerald for introducing us to Jon so many years ago. Jon stood by our side when we were in deed, he never judge us nor will we judge him on anything but the kindness he showed to us over many years. He was a good man, he will always be in our heart. Warmly you will be remembered

As many of you know, Jon was one of my best friends and we fought in the political trenches for years and helped each other in our campaigns to get elected to our various offices.

Jon was a man who's honor was his life. He could have appealed and still be free as a first offender and practiced law for another $50,000 on top of the quarter million that he already spent. That might have been decided by the fall. This is the first application of this new RI law and the states case wreaks and is ripe for appeal. But the state would have appealed that decision. The last state appeal to the Supreme Court of a decision that favored Jon took 2 1/2 of the last 6 years. Such an appeal of that decision would have cost more money, but mainly honor.

He once told me 6 years ago that if one dies before their sentencing that:
BY LAW:
1. the conviction is vacated
2. and all charges are acquitted.

Yesterday, he showed the world what we knew all along, that he was innocent.

There are times when a man's honor is more important to himself and family than his life. People who don't understand that would not understand why the family men of the marines did what they did at places like Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. If one does not understand that, then they wouldn't understand Jon or the family men that took Mr Suribach and Fallujah. They marines never care about the politics. They care about their buddies next to them and the honor and trust they have in each other.

How are trolls like hickock getting their vicious comments on here? They don't have the guts to back their words with their identity.

Why is projo entertaining such a hypocrici?

To certain people who have left rude, insensitive, and disrespectful comments ("huh", "FDR", "Hickock"), I hope that you begin to think about how your family would feel if it was you in this situation. But you clearly have no manners so why don't stop being such ghouls and keep your comments to your self. People don't want to hear them, they don't care for your type. And I would also like to address The Providence Journal and ask them how they could have let comments like these make it through the filter and how this picture could still top the article. Shame on all of you. You are no better than dirt.

Why had insult to injury...let his family be. Dont bad mouth a man we dont know. There is a family out there suffering...isnt that enough for you people? It's a damn shame the things that we say and do to each other...

I was a former client of Mr. Oster's back in 2005 and my son went to school with his daughter. I told Mr. Oster that I had asked my son to be kind to his daughter in school because I knew in my heart how cruel kids could be in light of his troubles in Lincoln. Mr. Oster at hearing me sympathize with his situation and understanding what his daughter would go thru and what she would endure - resulted in my understanding what being human and making mistakes mean. He was able to admit the pain and humiliation that touched his family was indeed the tragedy that weighed heavy on his heart of the results of his imprefections and thus the outcome to his ending. Above it all, I hope his daughter who graduated in 2006 knows how much love I witnessed from him that day when he agreed his family would suffer the most whether he was found guilty or innocent -does it really matter anymore? He had love for his family and that matters most of all.

When did we devolve to the point where we can sit here and pass judgement in print? There but for the grace of God. This is hurtful. Let him and his family be.