WINNIPEG -- Police charged
a 79-year-old Manitoba man Jan. 29 with helping his ailing wife commit
suicide.
Investigators handed Bert
Doerksen a summons to appear in court on a charge of counseling or aiding
suicide, but did not take him into custody. He is scheduled to appear
in court Feb. 12.
"We feel it's in the public
interest to lay a charge," said Police Supt. Menno Zacharais. "In a situation
where death results from the actions of anyone and those actions are illegal
by law, it's in our best interest to put this case forward."
The body of Susan Doerksen,
78, was found in a car parked in the garage of the couple's home on Nov.
26, 1997. A large hose attached to the car's exhaust pipe ran through a
car window, which was sealed off with cardboard and duct tape. The method
of death was similar to that used by Saskatchewan farmer Robert Latimer
in the killing of his 12-year-old severely disabled daughter, Tracy. Mrs.
Doerksen suffered from a number of medical problems, including a severe
form of arthritis, and had recently had a heart attack. The maximum sentence
for assisted suicide is 14 years. There is no minimum sentence.
-- via Pro-Life
E News Canada
