Ex-nurse pleads not guilty in suicides

This Oct. 15, 2009 file photo, shows William Melchert-Dinkel in Faribault, Minn.

[anonymous]

I read in disbelief. No one should ever encourage suicide as a means of escaping the problems that plague them at the moment. Depression is a form of mental illness. It renders you incapable of seeing your problems realistically. Suicide as they say, is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. An eighteen year old girl may have been saved if he had discouraged instead of encouraged.

This man obviously suffers from grandiosity. Perhaps he likens himself to God, or because he is disgruntled with his own life, feels empowered by assisting others in ending theirs. Since he is such an advocate of death by hanging, may I be afforded the opportunity to provide him with the rope.

[Linda]

This is terrible. Why did the guy want to be a nurse anyway? Being a nurse is about helping people! If he encouraged her to get help she/they would probably be alive now.

[Dick]

My father committed suicide in St Paul in 1973.

Since that day I believe that this is hardly a question for religion to determine. Dr Kervokian had a point.

My Dad was 76 and diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. He read up on it and saw that he would lose muscle activity. Finally he would die from not having the muscle to breathe. Meanwhile my Mother would have to clean his stool and so forth.

My Dad convinced Mom to go downtown and he went into the garage and committed suicide by running the car with the garage closed up.

In my opinion I think he was a hero.

[Ann]

ugly dude

[Sarah D]

Dick wrote:

My father committed suicide in St Paul in 1973.
Since that day I believe that this is hardly a question for religion to determine. Dr Kervokian had a point.
My Dad was 76 and diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. He read up on it and saw that he would lose muscle activity. Finally he would die from not having the muscle to breathe. Meanwhile my Mother would have to clean his stool and so forth.
My Dad convinced Mom to go downtown and he went into the garage and committed suicide by running the car with the garage closed up.
In my opinion I think he was a hero.

This is not a case of terminal illness. This man encouraged people who were depressed to kill themselves. As someone who has been diagnosed with clinical, chronic depression I am appalled at this man. I do believe people should have the right to commit suicide but only after they have tried all they could to help themselves.

But I have NEVER agreed that others should ENCOURAGE someone to commit suicide because the person simply may be going through a very dark mood which would lift eventually. When I have felt the deepest hopelessness and despair, I tell myself to wait until tomorrow and by tomorrow while not what I would call happy, the urge to suicide has passed.

Furthermore did you notice how this man always pushed hanging on to would be suicides even though they were talking about another method? There is something seriously wrong with this guy.

I think he is as bad as a murderer.

[really]

I am very sorry for your loss. My best friend died from suicide 1994, also know of another person this year. Comitted suicide is an act of violence, you should know that. Suicide is an illness, your father died from this illness. This article is not about the illness, but about someone that is encouraging people to take their lives. He should not be able to be walking around freely, what if he decides "help" another to take their life? He is, in my mind, an accomplice to murder. He should be put in prison.

Dick wrote:

My father committed suicide in St Paul in 1973.
Since that day I believe that this is hardly a question for religion to determine. Dr Kervokian had a point.
My Dad was 76 and diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. He read up on it and saw that he would lose muscle activity. Finally he would die from not having the muscle to breathe. Meanwhile my Mother would have to clean his stool and so forth.
My Dad convinced Mom to go downtown and he went into the garage and committed suicide by running the car with the garage closed up.
In my opinion I think he was a hero.

[Shes gorgeous]

Dick wrote:

My father committed suicide in St Paul in 1973.
Since that day I believe that this is hardly a question for religion to determine. Dr Kervokian had a point.
My Dad was 76 and diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. He read up on it and saw that he would lose muscle activity. Finally he would die from not having the muscle to breathe. Meanwhile my Mother would have to clean his stool and so forth.
My Dad convinced Mom to go downtown and he went into the garage and committed suicide by running the car with the garage closed up.
In my opinion I think he was a hero.

I had a patient that I took care of with Lou Gehrig's disease. I needed help transferring her one time and got an aide to help me. I realized mid-transfer that the aide that was supposed to be helping was in fact just holding her hand/arm limply in place and was not helping me at all. She was just making a "show" as if she was. I almost dropped the lady (with Lou Gehrig's) mid-transfer because I wasn't getting any assistance - not to mention I was at great risk for injury during the transfer. That being aside, I got to know the patient over time and we had a lot of laughs together even though she couldn't communicate other then by computer. Anyhow, I transferred to a different unit and not too long after she died. I can't say your dad made the wrong decision because the one thing that I always had in mind with regard to the disease is losing muscle function with regard to breathing. That just seems like a bad way to go. With the muscles atrophying - that has to be quite painful as it's happening. I understand it's possibly heriditary, so be aware of that. I don't think that's a certainty. You should ask your doctor about it.

[Kamereon]

Wow. From everything I read, this guy is definitely predator. He has all the same call signs as a serial killer. Not only did he want that poor girl to commit suicide, he was trying to talk her into using a rope and a webcam, so that he could watch.

You let this guy go, I guarantee you he will do it again. If I were a cop in his area, I would consult an FBI profiler. I'm guessing he worked his way up to the internet, meaning he probably strangled small animals. Check his backyard for multiple burials.

[Debra27]

Kamereon wrote:

Wow. From everything I read, this guy is definitely predator. He has all the same call signs as a serial killer. Not only did he want that poor girl to commit suicide, he was trying to talk her into using a rope and a webcam, so that he could watch.
You let this guy go, I guarantee you he will do it again. If I were a cop in his area, I would consult an FBI profiler. I'm guessing he worked his way up to the internet, meaning he probably strangled small animals. Check his backyard for multiple burials.

yeah, he definitely gets off on watching, that seems to be his whole purpose. sick pup

[Jack]

Kajouji killed herself on my birthday. Odd thought.

This man is sick.

Why can't people just plead guilty anymore? When evidence is overwhelming at least have a little quiet dignity instead of wasting everyone's time.

[Junior Skeptic]

If you read the second conversation at all, it's clear that he tried to tell the girl to hang herself, but then she went and jumped off a bridge. So how is he responsible for that?

[Sarah D]

Junior Skeptic wrote:

If you read the second conversation at all, it's clear that he tried to tell the girl to hang herself, but then she went and jumped off a bridge. So how is he responsible for that?

He is responsible for having ENCOURAGED her to kill herself. The method that she ultimately chose doesn't matter. He is a nurse, a person who has the responsibility to SAVE life not encourage the end of it. It was his responsibility to at the very least TRY to talk her out of it because of his professional position.

He preyed on her vulnerability. At the very least the charge should be accomplice to murder since legally, suicide is self-murder.

[Debra27]

I thought he was pretending to be a female nurse...

[Interesdom]

Sarah D wrote:

<quoted text>
He is responsible for having ENCOURAGED her to kill herself. The method that she ultimately chose doesn't matter. He is a nurse, a person who has the responsibility to SAVE life not encourage the end of it. It was his responsibility to at the very least TRY to talk her out of it because of his professional position.
He preyed on her vulnerability.

That's the monstrous part. I can kind-of understand those who would get scared or disgusted when someone is talking to them about killing themselves but this guy encouraged her depressed mood and is sick enough to have wanted to watch. Now his legal team are wriggling around trying to find legal loopholes. He's just a cowardly murderer.

[Interesdom]

Debra27 wrote:

I thought he was pretending to be a female nurse...

He is stated to be "a former nurse."