- Stephen Miller, an 85-year-old retired doctor from Tuscon, Arizona, was charged with manslaughter for allegedly traveling across the border to counsel and assist a New York woman who was contemplating assisted suicide.
- The woman who was found dead in a Kingston, New York, hotel on Nov. 9 was reportedly suffering from “severe and debilitating pain” and had contacted Miller about her previous advocacy work. ing.
- Mr. Miller was convicted of tax evasion in Texas and had his medical license revoked in 2006.
An 85-year-old former Arizona doctor has been charged with manslaughter in the death of a woman in a motel room in upstate New York, authorities said.
The woman’s body was discovered by cleaning staff at a motel in Kingston, New York, on November 9th. According to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, Kingston police, fire and paramedics concluded that the woman died as a result of “assisted suicide.”
Investigators determined that Stephen Miller had traveled from Arizona and was with the woman at the time of her death at a motel about 70 miles north of New York City, prosecutors said. Authorities did not identify the woman.
Immigrants arrested in Phoenix on suspicion of assaulting New York City police officer
Miller, a Tucson resident, was charged Friday with second-degree manslaughter under a provision that allows him to intentionally cause or assist in the suicide of another person. Kingston police said he also faces two counts of assault.
His attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, said Miller turned himself in, pleaded not guilty, posted bail and returned to Arizona.
“He was an 85-year-old man who just wanted to provide comfort and counseling to people who couldn’t handle the pain in their lives anymore,” Lichtman said in a phone interview Tuesday. “The end of his life, dying alone in a New York cell, is frankly disgusting.”
A former Arizona doctor has been charged with manslaughter for allegedly aiding the suicide of an upstate New York woman. (Fox News)
Lichtman said the woman was in “extreme, debilitating pain” and had contacted Miller because of his work with the advocacy group Choice and Dignity, where he serves on the advisory board. Discussions with the women continued for several months, but Miller said he was careful not to violate the law.
“She didn’t want to be alone,” Lichtman said. “He felt sympathy for her.”
Lichtman said Miller was convicted of tax evasion in Texas and had his medical license revoked. Miller was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to just under four years in prison, according to a Justice Department news release.
Several states allow medical assistance in dying, but efforts to legalize medical assistance in New York have stalled in the state legislature.
Jim Schultz, president of Choice & Dignity, said in an email that he was saddened to hear of Miller’s arrest.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We see Steve’s work as a noble undertaking and a caring presence for those who don’t want to die alone,” Schultz wrote in an email.
