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It was probably an app that had posting permissions on the account.

I think if you notify Facebook that the person has died (and provide some sort of proof) they switch the account over to "memorial" status (which can't post, etc.)

I needed zero proof to memorialise the profile of a deceased friend. Didn't even have the exact date of his death, let alone any documentation. It had been over a year, so I guess Facebook took a look at the profile activity and wall posts and decided it was a legit request.

This has been an issue for a while:

http://readwrite.com/2012/12/11/why-are-dead-people-liking-s...

One of my coworkers passed away after being quite sick for a while. Facebook had been his primary social outlet, keeping everyone updated, coordinating stuff, medium for support and encouragement.

His Facebook account got stolen and then used it for spam. It was pretty hard on his family, close friends.

Seems like Facebook should support use cases for someone to claim an account (like hospitals special case power of attorney, next of kin, etc).