Former Faribault Nurse Convicted of Assisted Suicide Charge
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former nurse who admitted going online and encouraging people to kill themselves has been convicted of assisting in the suicide of an English man.
Minnesota Judge Thomas Neuville on Tuesday also acquitted William Melchert-Dinkel of assisting the suicide of a Canadian woman but found him guilty of attempting to assist her suicide.
Melchert-Dinkel was convicted in 2011 of encouraging the two suicides. But the Minnesota Supreme Court reversed his conviction in March, saying part of a state law against encouraging suicides was unconstitutional. However, the justices upheld a part of the law that makes it a crime to "assist" in someone's suicide.
Evidence showed Melchert-Dinkel sought out depressed people online. He posed as a suicidal female nurse, feigning compassion and offering instructions on how they could kill themselves.
More From KROC-AM
