Conviction overturned for man accused of aiding Ottawa suicide
Posted Mar 20, 2014 06:34:05 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Minnesota Supreme Court has reversed the convictions of a former nurse accused of encouraging two people, including an Ontario woman, to kill themselves.
One of those people was 18-year-old Carleton University student Nadia Kajouji of Brampton, who jumped into a frozen Ottawa river in 2008 after online conversations with William Melchert-Dinkel, 51.
The other person was a 32-year-old man in England who hanged himself nine years ago.
The court ruled Wednesday that the language in the state’s assisted-suicide law is unconstitutional when it comes to “encouraging” suicides.
The court found the part of the law that bans “assisting” suicide is constitutional.
Kajouji’s mother says the reversal of Melchert-Dinkel’s convictions means justice isn’t being served.
The high court sent the case back to a lower court judge for further consideration.
