A former Arizona doctor charged with manslaughter for helping a woman commit suicide in an upstate New York motel room has pleaded guilty.
Steven Miller, 85, of Tucson, was arrested earlier this year on a charge of second-degree manslaughter, a charge that New York law allows anyone to be charged with intentionally inducing or assisting another person in committing suicide.
The plea agreement, reached in state court, stipulates that Miller will serve five years of probation.
Miller traveled from Arizona to a motel in Kingston, New York, to be by the woman's side when she died.
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Stephen P. Miller pleaded guilty Tuesday to manslaughter. (Kingston Police Department)
The woman's body was discovered by a cleaning staff member on Nov. 9, 2023. The Ulster County District Attorney's Office said at the time that Kingston police, fire and emergency personnel had concluded that the woman died by “assisted suicide.”
Miller turned himself in and initially pleaded not guilty, but was indicted in February on charges of second-degree manslaughter and two counts of assault.
Miller's lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, said Tuesday that his client provided comfort and “very little technical assistance” to a woman who could no longer tolerate the debilitating pain she had endured for decades.
Lichtman also said the woman had contacted Miller because of his work with the advocacy group Choice and Dignity.
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An Arizona man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in New York state for helping a woman commit suicide at a motel in November 2023. (iStock)
“Technically, he broke the law,” the lawyer told reporters. “We accept that, but morally, our understanding is that Stephen Miller did nothing wrong.”
During the court hearing, Miller calmly answered questions from Judge Brian Lowndes.
“Are you pleading guilty because you are in fact guilty of second-degree manslaughter,” Lowndes asked.
“According to your definition, yes,” Miller responded, before the judge explained that the definition is found in state law.
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The plea agreement stipulates that Miller will serve five years of probation. (iStock)
Lowndes then asked Miller the same question again, to which Miller replied, “Yes.”
According to the Associated Press, Miller declined to answer questions from reporters after his appearance.
Miller lost his medical license after being convicted of tax evasion in Texas. He was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to just under four years in prison, according to a Department of Justice press release.
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Medical euthanasia is permitted in several states, but efforts to legalize it in New York have stalled in the state legislature.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
