Who’s to Blame for Death of Mentally Ill Woman?

I attended high school with Leslie Orfalea (“An Act of Forgiveness,” by Gregory Orfalea, Jan. 26) and was surprised to read that her suicide is now being attributed to schizophrenia. By her brother’s account, the murder/suicide took place shortly after her father’s “tongue-lashing.” To try and blame a gun store or a boyfriend for giving drugs to someone who suffered from mental illness, and neglect to acknowledge her father’s role in precipitating her actions, seems to be an unfair shift of blame.

Camille Gaon

Pacific Palisades