Friday, September 12, 2014

Man kills his mother and claims it was assisted suicide.

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Margaret Regalia
The following story from Monticello New York is very upsetting.

The story that is published in the Times-Herald Record states that Andrew Moore confessed to strangling his mother, Margaret "Peggy" Regalia, to death as part of an assisted suicide pact.

Clearly, this upsetting case is not an assisted suicide pact, as the defense attorney claims


Assisted suicide is to intentionally assist another person to commit suicide. Regalia didn't kill herself but rather was strangled to death. Therefore it is a murder or murder-suicide pact but not an assisted suicide pact. The defense may have used this to lessen the gravity of the charge.

Moore's sister, Jennifer Panet doubted the argument by the defense attorney. The Mohawk Valley News stated:
With irreplaceable jewelry and family heirlooms taken from the scene, Moore's own sister, Jennifer Panet, says she's not fully convinced of a pact between the two. 
"It was literally taken off of her dead body and sold. My brother also went back to the house and walked her dog with her lying there," said Panet. 
... Panet and her husband Michael say, though the circumstances surrounding their mother's death remain unclear, they are comfortable with the plea agreement because it allows them to move forward with their lives. 
"The focus cannot be a suicide pact but rather justice being served for the crime. We have to accept it and we have to move forward," said Michael Panet.
Andrew Moore
The Times Herald Record article stated that:

Moore will face a maximum sentence of five to 15 years behind bars in the plea bargain agreement. In return, he pleaded guilty to a second-degree manslaughter charge for assisting his mother, Margaret “Peggy” Regalia of Bloomingburg, in committing suicide in January.
What is incredibly sad is the fact that Moore killed his depressed mother rather than help her live.


Moore is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18.

3 comments:

Sara Buscher said...

All we have here is the claim by a man who strangled his mother to death that "she wanted it." Really? This is like a murderer claiming he was afraid his victim was going to kill him but the victim didn't have a weapon. We do not believe it. What is troubling here is that the legalization of assisted suicide could allow people who commit murder to get away with it.

Julie Grimstad said...

Back in the 1970's, Derek Humphry, founder of the Hemlock Society (now called Compassion & Choices), killed his first wife by putting poison in her coffee. He claimed she asked for it and even wrote a book about her "assisted suicide." That is the mantra of assisted suicide advocates, in particular Compassion & Choices. "She asked for it" is a claim no one can confirm when she is dead.

Winston said...

Which is exactly why confirmation must occur BEFORE death, Julie.

Right now, the only "regulation" is "whatever I can get away with."