Right-to-die advocate Stephen Miller was sentenced to five years of probation. His lawyer argued that he had not committed any moral wrong.
Former Arizona doctor, Stephen P. Miller, recently pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to five years’ probation for assisting a 59-year-old woman, Doreen Brodhead, in ending her life in a motel room in the Hudson Valley, New York. This incident occurred last fall, and Mr. Miller’s plea and sentencing took place in Ulster County Court after he was charged seven months ago. Initially, Mr. Miller, aged 85, had pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and two assault charges, but under an agreement with the Ulster County district attorney’s office, the assault charges were dropped. The potential prison term for the manslaughter charge was five to 15 years, with up to 25 years if convicted on all counts. Mr. Miller did not offer a statement in court and chose not to comment afterward. His lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, stated that while his client technically violated New York’s law against assisting in a suicide, he acted compassionately in helping Ms. Brodhead fulfill her wishes. The lawyer maintained that morally, Stephen Miller did nothing wrong.
The Ulster County district attorney’s office, represented by spokesperson Emmanuel C. Nneji, did not provide a comment on the case.
Stephen P. Miller, a former doctor from Arizona, recently pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a five-year probation sentence for assisting a 59-year-old woman in ending her life in a Hudson Valley motel room in New York. This incident occurred last fall, and Mr. Miller’s plea and sentencing took place in Ulster County Court after he was charged seven months ago. Initially, Mr. Miller, aged 85, had pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and two assault charges, but under an agreement with the Ulster County district attorney’s office, the assault charges were dropped. The potential prison term for the manslaughter charge was five to 15 years, with up to 25 years if convicted on all counts. Mr. Miller did not offer a statement in court and chose not to comment afterward. His lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, stated that while his client technically violated New York’s law against assisting in a suicide, he acted compassionately in helping Ms. Brodhead fulfill her wishes. The lawyer maintained that morally, Stephen Miller did nothing wrong.
The Ulster County district attorney’s office, represented by spokesperson Emmanuel C. Nneji, did not provide a comment on the case.
Source: The NY Times
