A NOTE ON SOURCING

To reconstruct Stetson Hoskin’s descent into mental illness and his final moments, the Houston Chronicle’s Alex Stuckey spent several months scouring hundreds of pages of medical records, court documents and police reports obtained through public records requests and family members. She pieced together Stetson’s final days by visiting hospitals, the scene of the crash and walking the last 20-minute walk Stetson would take.

She interviewed Stetson’s family members, witnesses to the accident and a judge. Whenever possible, she verified accounts with witnesses and documents. Direct quotations used in the story came from contemporaneous recordings, police documents, physician’s reports, court transcripts or the recollections of participants who consented to interviews; in each case, those quotes have been verified by the people to whom they are attributed or a family member. Italics were used when people recalled their own thoughts.