Ex-Arizona doctor pleads guilty to manslaughter in connection with suicide of New York woman
Stephen Miller (Kingston Police Department)
KINGSTON, N.Y. - An 85-year-old former doctor from Arizona charged for his role in the suicide of a woman in an upstate New York motel room pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Tuesday.
Stephen Miller, of Tucson, was arrested for second-degree manslaughter earlier this year under a provision of New York law that allows the charge for intentionally causing or aiding another person’s suicide.
Under a plea agreement, Miller was sentenced to five years of probation after his guilty plea in state court.
Miller had traveled from Arizona to be with the woman at the time of her death at the motel in Kingston, about 80 miles (120 kilometers) north of New York City. The body of the woman was found on Nov. 9 by housekeeping staff. Police, fire and emergency workers concluded the woman had died "by means of assisted suicide," according to the Ulster County district attorney’s office.
Miller, who answered questions from the judge in a soft voice, declined to make a statement in court, and he did not speak to reporters after his appearance.
His attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, said Miller simply provided comfort and counseling to someone who couldn’t live with the pain in their life anymore. He said the woman had debilitating pain and had reached out to Miller because of his work with the advocacy group, Choice and Dignity.
Arizona man accused of assisting in New York suicide charged with manslaughter
An 85-year-old former doctor from Arizona was charged with manslaughter for his role in the suicide of a woman in an upstate New York motel room, authorities said.
"Technically, he violated the law," Lichtman told reporters after the court appearance. "We accept that, but with the understanding that morally, Stephen Miller did nothing wrong."
Miller had also been initially charged with two counts of assault. He pleaded not guilty in February, posted bail and returned to Arizona.
Lichtman said Miller had consulted with the woman for months and had been careful not to violate any statutes.
Miller lost his license to practice medicine upon his conviction for tax fraud in Texas, Lichtman has said. Miller was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to just under four years in prison, according to a Department of Justice news release.
Several states allow medical aid in dying, though efforts to legalize it in New York have stalled in the state Legislature.
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