Kansas & Oklahoma are tightening their assisted suicide laws.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Kansas Legislature

The Kansas legislature is debating Resolution No 5010, a resolution that opposes assisted suicide and promotes improvements to palliative care. The Resolution states:

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of Kansas, the Senate concurring therein: That the legislature strongly opposes and condemns physician-assisted suicide because the legislature has an unqualified interest in the preservation of human life; and

Be it further resolved: That the legislature strongly opposes and condemns physician-assisted suicide because anything less than a prohibition leads to foreseeable abuses and eventually to euthanasia by devaluing human life, particularly the lives of the terminally ill, elderly, disabled and depressed whose lives are of no less value or quality than any other citizen of this state; and

Be it further resolved: That the legislature strongly opposes and condemns physician-assisted suicide even for terminally ill, mentally competent adults because assisted suicide eviscerates efforts to prevent the self-destructive act of suicide and hinders progress in effective physician interventions, including diagnosing and treating depression, managing pain and providing palliative and hospice care; and

Be it further resolved: That the legislature strongly opposes and condemns physician-assisted suicide because assisted suicide undermines the integrity and ethics of the medical profession, subverts a physician's role as healer and compromises the physician-patient relationship; and

Be it further resolved: That the Secretary of State transmit a copy of this resolution to the Governor of the State of Kansas, the Kansas Secretary of Health and Environment and the Kansas Medical Society.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition urges members of the Kansas legislature to support Resolution 5010.

Oklahoma Legislature

On March 6, 2017; the Oklahoma House passed HB 1495 , the Death Certificate Accuracy Act by a vote of 62 - 26. HB 1495 will hopefully lead to change by creating pressure on states that have laws that force doctors to lie on death certificates.

HB 1495 makes it a felony to knowingly lie on a death certificate by improperly stating the manner of death.

Even though assisted suicide is a prohibited act in Oklahoma, the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition supports HB 1495 because it creates awareness of the cover-up that exists in the states that have legalized assisted suicide and it further builds opposition to assisting a suicide in Oklahoma.

Kansas man sentenced to 195 months in prison for murder, after claiming it was an assisted suicide.

By Alex Schadenberg

Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Vance Moulton died by asphyxiation in Sept 2014.

Judge Peggy Kittel sentenced Ronald Eugene Heskett to 195 months in prison after being found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Vance Moulton who lived with cerebral palsy. Heskett, who was a care-giver for Moulton, claimed that the death was an assisted suicide.

I was interested in the case because Heskett claimed that the death was an assisted suicide. I was concerned that his claim of assisted suicide may result in a lesser sentence. 

Judge Kittel was asked by Michael Warner, the defense attorney for Heskett, to apply a lesser sentence, but Kittel rejected that suggestion and applied the full 195 months of jail time to the conviction.

According to the Lawrence Journal World news:

Ronald Eugene Heskett

During his September 2015 trial, prosecutors presented evidence to suggest that Heskett killed Moulton, who had cerebral palsy, for a financial motive, pointing to an approximate $13,000 in cash from government refunds missing from Moulton’s apartment.

They also looked at a series of expenditures Heskett made, shortly after the checks were cashed, on a 1972 Chevelle and numerous car parts. 

Heskett had claimed since Sept. 22, 2014, that the killing was an assisted suicide. He said Moulton, of Lawrence, had been persistently asking him to “shoot him” for six months to a year before Moulton’s death. Heskett testified at his trial that the missing $13,000 did indeed go to the car and car parts, but that it was as part of a plan with Moulton to “flip” the car and sell it for $25,000. 

At Heskett’s sentencing hearing Friday, Prosecutor Eve Kemple read letters from Moulton’s friends to the court. Moulton’s college roommate and friend, Keith Slimmer, said Moulton “had the greatest laugh to light up any room.” Another friend, Adam Burnett, said Moulton was a “role model” and he “genuinely cared about other people." 

Burnett, who uses a wheelchair, as Moulton did, said his friend's murder has shaped the way he views his own home-care attendants. 

"I cannot look at (my care-attendant) workers the same again," Burnett said. "We depend on them; we trust them. It bothers me knowing there is nothing he could have done to defend himself." 

After sentencing Heskett, Kittel acknowledged the judgment would be of little comfort to Moulton's loved ones. 

"No sentence ... will bring Mr. Moulton back," Kittel said. "People will leave here likely feeling as bad as they did when they arrived."

Justice has been done. Justice Kittel respected the life of Vance Moulton by not considering the medical condition of the victim when deciding on the punishment the man who killed him.

I published articles for everyday of the trial. The first day of the Heskett trial, the second day of the trial, the third day of the trial, the fourth day of the trial, the fifth day of the trial, the sixth day of the trial and the decision of the jury finding Heskett guilty of second-degree murder.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition recognizes that if legalized, falsely claiming the death was an assisted suicide can become a defense for murder.

Kansas man found guilty of murder after claiming it was an assisted suicide.

Alex Schadenberg

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The jury in Eudora Kansas found Ronald Heskett guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Vance Moulton, who lived with cerebral palsy. Heskett, who was a care-giver for Moulton, claimed that it was an assisted suicide. Heskett confessed to asphyxiating Moulton to death.

I was interested in this case because Heskett said that the death was an assisted suicide. It is possible to cause death and claim it was an assisted suicide, which tends to have a lesser sentence.

Last week I wrote about the first day of the Heskett murder trial, the second day of the trial, the third day of the trial, and the fourth day of the trial. This week I wrote about the fifth day of the trial, and the sixth day of the trial in Eudora Kansas.

According to the Lawrence Journal-World, today the jury heard the closing arguments, and then deliberated for 4 hours before finding Heskett guilty of second-degree murder.

Prosecutor, David Melton stated in his closing argument that:

Vance Moulton

“(Moulton) didn’t commit suicide. He wasn’t assisted to commit suicide. He was murdered,” Melton said. 

Melton said that even if jurors believed that Moulton asked Heskett to kill him, Heskett physically killing Moulton still constituted murder because suicide is “the deliberate destruction of one’s own life.” 

“It’s not suicide if someone asks me to shoot them and I point a gun at them a pull the trigger,” Melton said. “That’s not suicide; that’s murder.” 

Further, he questioned why few witnesses besides Heskett testified that they’d thought Moulton was suicidal. 

“Mr. Moulton was depressed for a full year and no one noticed except for the defendant,” Melton said.

Ronald Heskett

Defense attorney Mike Warner told the jury that:

Prosecutors over-charged Heskett’s case. He said that charging Heskett with first-degree murder or, in the alternative, second-degree murder, left jurors with a difficult decision, as Heskett already admitted to killing Moulton — but not with premeditation or with the motive in the prosecution’s theory of the case. 

“If the evidence in this trial does not support the crimes charged, you must find him not guilty,” Warner said. “You may think you can’t do that. It’s not your fault. It’s the way this case was charged.” 

Warner argued Tuesday to let jurors have the option of convicting his client of assisted suicide or voluntary manslaughter if they could not come to a unanimous decision on the first- and second-degree murder charges. Douglas County District Judge Peggy Kittel, however, said those charges did not count as lesser-included charges to the first-degree murder charge, so she did not allow them as options to be included in the jury instructions. 

“When you’re a defendant, it’s an up-hill battle and it’s lonely. But Mr. Heskett is a good man and he deserves to be treated with respect to the law,” Warner said. “It’s going to be tough to acquit him, but you must.”

After three hours of deliberation the jury asked the court if they were required to unanimously find him guilty of first degree murder or could they go to second degree murder?

The attorneys and the judge discussed the matter outside of the jury’s presence. They agreed the jury could legally consider the alternative charge of second-degree murder if they didn’t all agree on the first, but (Judge) Kittel said, “We can’t really tell them.” Instead, Kittel told jurors to refer back to their jury instructions for direction. A juror responded, “That’s what we thought.”

According to the Lawrence Journal-World:

Last month, prosecutor Eve Kemple said she had offered Heskett a deal to plead guilty to first-degree murder, and in return she would allow Heskett to argue at sentencing for a 25 years to life prison sentence, instead of first-degree murder’s mandatory “Hard 50” — or 50 years to life. The Hard 50 became mandatory in first-degree murder cases for crimes that happened after July 1, 2014, when the sentencing law changed. 

... Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson said in a news release that the “jury agreed” with the prosecution’s motive theory. 

“We never believed that Heskett was trying to help his friend commit suicide,” Branson said. “Van Moulton was murdered by Ronald Heskett to cover up the fact that he had stolen money and used it to buy a car. The jury agreed.”  

Kittel ordered Heskett to stay in jail without bond until his sentencing hearing, which she scheduled for Nov. 6. 

Depending on his criminal history, Heskett faces anywhere from about 12 to 54 years in prison.

The jury was right to convict Heskett of murder. Heskett confessed to killing Moulton by asphyxiation. It was not an assisted suicide because Moulton did not die by suicide.

I am concerned that the jury convicted Heskett of the lesser charge of second-degree murder because Moulton was a person with a disability. Crimes against people with disabilities should be treated equally as crimes committed against able-bodied people. Nonetheless, there were extenuating circumstances.

Kansas murder trial, defense claims it was assisted suicide (Day 6).

Alex Schadenberg

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Last week I wrote about the first day of the Heskett murder trial, the second day of the trial, and the third day of the trial, and the fourth day of the trial. This week I wrote about the fifth day of the trial in Eudora Kansas. Today's article focuses on what Heskett's did with the money that went missing from Moulton's apartment.

The trial concerns the death of Vance Moulton (65), who was living with cerebral palsy. Ronald Eugene Heskett (49), who was Moulton's care-giver, was charged with first-degree murder, but he claims that the death was an assisted suicide.

Ronald Heskett

The Lawrence Journal World reported:

Prosecutors in the case of Ronald Eugene Heskett have alleged that Heskett intentionally killed his disabled home-care client Vance “Van” Moulton, 65, of Lawrence, for financial reasons. Heskett, however, has maintained that the death was an assisted suicide. 

Heskett testified Tuesday that after persistent, highly emotional pleadings from Moulton to kill him on Sept. 12, 2014, Heskett ... asphyxiating him to death. Moulton had cerebral palsy and other serious health problems. 

The state has presented witnesses over the past week who said that Moulton before his death cashed $13,000 in government checks, which was never recovered in a search of his home. They showed recorded police interviews with Heskett in which Heskett denied entering any financial agreements with Moulton or taking his money, and they presented evidence of Heskett making uncharacteristically expensive purchases of a 1972 Chevelle and car parts. 

Throughout the trial, that $13,000 has been the crux of the state’s case. 

When Heskett ... testified Tuesday, he admitted the $13,000 had indeed been spent on the car — but only with the authority of Moulton as part of a plan to raise money to buy Moulton a wheelchair-accessible van. 

Heskett on Tuesday said, as other witnesses had testified over the past week, that Moulton yearned for a wheelchair-accessible van to ride in and gain more independence. Heskett said he’d gone to look for an accessible van at Moulton’s request, and told Moulton it would cost about $40,000 — an amount far greater than the $13,193.18 total received from his government checks. 

Heskett said Moulton knew Heskett restored old cars as a hobby, and the two would regularly watch car auction shows on TV together. So, when thinking about how to get more money for Moulton to buy a van, Heskett said he and Moulton devised a plan to invest in a 1972 Chevelle to fix up and sell for $25,000. 

Heskett said that he put in the work, the time and around $1,500 of his own money into the car, and that he and Moulton agreed to split profits, with Moulton receiving 75 percent and Heskett getting 25 percent. 

“We had an agreement. We worked toward getting his van,” Heskett said. “It was the only way that Van and I knew to increase his money.” 

When asked how much of the checks were spent, Heskett said, “All of it.” 

In Heskett’s recorded police confession shown to jurors last week, Heskett denied taking any money from Moulton. He also suggested the last time he saw the $13,000 in cash, it was in a dresser drawer of Moulton’s apartment — which he admitted Tuesday was not the truth. 

Heskett told jurors Tuesday that he was fearful to tell investigators about the car agreement because they were asking him whether Moulton had given him the money in exchange for killing him. 

“All (police) were talking about was, ‘Did Van give you money?’” Heskett testified. “I thought they were going to charge me with murder for hire and give me the death penalty.” 

Heskett said he and Moulton didn’t tell anyone else about the agreement. 

If the content in this article is causing you to have suicidal thoughts contact Your Life Counts.

The final part of the trial focused on how the judge would charge the jury. The defense argued that the jury should be given the option of convicting Heskett of murder or the lesser charge of assisted suicide.

Assisted suicide is when someone assists the suicide death that is carried our by the person who died. It can be done in many ways. Euthanasia is a form of homicide (murder) that is done when one person directly and intentionally causes the death of another person. 

According to the Lawrence Journal World, the defense argued that the Judge should:

let jurors decide between not only the first- or second-degree murder charges facing his client, but also have the option to convict Heskett of lesser charges of assisted suicide or voluntary manslaughter. 

Because Heskett confessed to helping Moulton die, “we don’t expect Mr. Heskett to walk out the door here, unless he’s acquitted based on the charges, which would be ironic.”

The prosecution stated that:

assisted suicide and voluntary manslaughter are not lesser included charges of first-degree murder and hence are not appropriate based on Kansas statute and case law. Kittel (the Judge) agreed with them, denying Warner’s request to include the lesser charges on the jury’s instructions.

I am interested in this story because Heskett says that the death was an assisted suicide. I am not stating that this didn't occur, but it is possible to cause death and claim assisted suicide as a defense. The trial will continue tomorrow with closing arguments.

Kansas murder trial, defense claims it was assisted suicide (Day 5).

Alex Schadenberg

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Last week I wrote about the first day of the Heskett murder trial, the second day of the trial, the third day of the trial, and the fourth day of the trial. This article concerns the fifth day of the Heskett murder trial in Eudora Kansas which focused on Heskett's defense.

The trial concerns the death of Vance Moulton (65), who was living with cerebral palsy. Ronald Eugene Heskett (49), who was Moulton's care-giver, was charged with first-degree murder, but he claims that the death was an assisted suicide.

Assisted suicide is when someone assists the suicide death that is carried our by the person who died. It can be done in many ways. Euthanasia is a form of homicide (murder) that is done when one person directly and intentionally causes the death of another person.

The Lawrence Journal-World news reported last week that jurors listened to a police recording where Heskett admitted to causing Moulton's death by asphyxiation.

Ronald Heskett took the stand and spoke in his own defense. According to the Lawrence Journal-World news:

On Monday, Heskett told jurors about his friendship with Moulton, 66, indicating their closeness went further than a worker-client relationship. For example, Heskett said he’d visited Moulton at the hospital after kidney surgeries in the spring of 2014 without pay, and also cooked Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for Moulton  

.... 

Heskett testified that Moulton’s outlook on life changed in the months leading up to his death. Heskett said Moulton grew increasingly concerned about his housing situation after an altercation between a former care attendant and his apartment manager. Moulton reportedly felt the manager had the care attendant fired, and Moulton had liked his care attendant. 

“When I first started working, (Moulton) was out and friendly,” Heskett said. “He was withdrawn after (the other care attendant) was terminated. 

... 

In March and April 2014, Heskett said, Moulton had two surgeries on one of his kidneys. Moulton had previously had his other kidney removed, and Heskett said Moulton was worried he’d lose his remaining kidney as well. Heskett said this made Moulton “stressed” that he may lose his independence and have to live in a nursing home. 

“He worried about the dialysis machine if he lost a kidney,” Heskett said. “He knew he’d lose his ability to (figuratively) run around if he was on dialysis.” 

That’s about the time when Moulton began talking about having Heskett kill him, Heskett said. 

“He would tell me when I got in in the morning I might as well just shoot him in the head,” Heskett said. “Later in the day he’d say, ‘I wish you’d just shoot me.’” 

Heskett said he had mentioned the suicidal comments once to one of Moulton’s friends and another time to his Trinity In-Home Care supervisors. He also tried to have Moulton call a suicide hotline, but Heskett said he didn’t push the matter because he was afraid Moulton would stop his services if he did. 

“If I got a therapist for him, he was going to have Trinity quit providing care workers,” Heskett said. “He thought that if somebody would come in and talk to him, the next step would be he’d get shipped off to a nursing home.”

Vance Moulton with case worker.

According to the Lawrence Journal-World news occupational therapist Megan Roelofs also testified today. She said:

... independent living was important to Moulton and that he was unhappy living at his apartment complex. She said she worked with Moulton once or twice a week beginning when Moulton was released from a brief stay at a nursing home in early 2013. 

“Van was bummed out and depressed about his situation,” Roelofs said. “(Moulton) never wanted to do anything that might jeopardize his independent living and being released into a nursing home.” 

Roelofs said that she heard Moulton say things like, “I’m so mad” and “I’m sick of all this” in reference to his living situation. Roelofs said she had recently sought assistance from social workers to help him find a new place to live, but Heskett said the process didn’t move quickly enough to satisfy Moulton. 

Roelofs said that on one occasion Moulton was upset about housing issues when Heskett told her in front of Moulton that Moulton “was asking for a gun this morning.” But when Roelofs inquired further, she said that Moulton “shut it down” and “laughed it off.”

If the content in this article is causing you to have suicidal thoughts contact Your Life Counts.

Neighbor Helena Charron also testified Monday about Moulton’s attitude change in the months leading up to his death.

When she’d first met him in 2013, she said Moulton was charismatic and upbeat. But after his kidney hospitalizations, things changed, she testified. 

“After (his hospitalization), I wouldn’t see him out much. He was withdrawn and skinny,” Charron said. 

One time, Moulton told Charron, “I just don’t want to be here. I just want to die,” Charron said.

However former care attendant Ulysses Demby, testified that he didn’t believe Moulton was ever suicidal.

“I read in the paper that Vance had asked (Heskett) to help him commit suicide and God put it on my heart to call the police,” Demby said. “He showed no signs (of suicidal tendencies)."

Keith Slimmer, a friend and former college roommate of Moulton's, also testified that he did not think Moulton was suicidal.

“I have never known (Moulton) to be depressed,” Slimmer said. “He was very glad to be out of the nursing home and have an apartment of his own.”

I am interested in this story because Heskett says that the death was an assisted suicide. I am not stating that this didn't occur, but it is possible to cause death and claim assisted suicide as a defense. Testimony is scheduled to continue Tuesday.

Kansas murder trial, defense claims it was assisted suicide (Day 4).

Alex Schadenberg

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

This week I wrote about the first day of the Heskett murder trial and the second day and yesterday I wrote about the third day of the trial in Eudora Kansas. The trial will continue on Monday.

The trial concerns the death of Vance Moulton (65), who was living with cerebral palsy. Moulton was allegedly murdered by Ronald Eugene Heskett (49), who was his care-giver. Heskett has been charged with first-degree murder, but he claims that the death was an assisted suicide.

Assisted suicide is when someone assists the suicide death that is carried our by the person who died. It can be done in many ways. Euthanasia is a form of homicide (murder) that is done when one person directly and intentionally causes the death of another person.

Ronald Eugene Heskett

The fourth day of the trial focused on the discussion between Heskett and fellow care-giver Scott Criqui. The Lawrence Journal-World news reported that:

Heskett called Criqui a short time later to report that he’d found Moulton in his apartment with a towel around his neck, dead of an apparent suicide by asphyxiation.  

... During Heskett’s short visit at Trinity, Heskett told Criqui that Moulton was suicidal, Criqui said. 

“(Heskett) brought up in a humorous fashion that Van wanted Ron to shoot him,” Criqui testified. 

Criqui said that he had never before heard of Moulton having suicidal tendencies, and if he had, appropriate action would be taken to have Moulton assessed for mental health issues. In a recorded police interview shown to jurors earlier this week, Heskett was seen telling investigators that he had told Criqui prior to Sept. 12, 2014, of Moulton’s suicidal comments. 

Criqui said he grew concerned hearing the light-hearted mention of Moulton’s suicidal comments,

The Lawrence Journal-world news continue by reporting on the prosecutions claim that Heskett killed Moulton based on financial gain. The article states:

In the police video shown Thursday, Heskett told police that the $13,000 was once kept in Moulton’s safety deposit box at Bank of America, but was later moved to a dresser drawer in Moulton’s apartment. 

On Friday, Detective Lance Flachsbarth testified that after Heskett mentioned the dresser drawer, Flachsbarth searched the entire apartment but did not find the cash. 

Tonganoxie carpenter Brian Johnson also testified Friday, saying that he had sold Heskett a 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle worth $4,900 in late May 2014. Heskett paid cash for the car, Johnson said. 

It was later discovered Heskett “fudged” the purchase price on the car title Johnson gave him. Heskett allegedly put down the price as less than $2,000 — the same amount Heskett told investigators in the video Thursday that he paid for the car. 

Jeff Wolff of Wolff Diagnostic & Automotive in Eudora testified after Johnson, saying that Heskett paid him about $1,884 for work on the Chevelle in June. But this wasn’t necessarily out of the ordinary, as Wolff also said that Heskett had paid nearly $600 in cash in January for work on two pick-up trucks. 

Retired FBI agent and forensic accountant Randall Wolverton testified that Heskett’s bank account records indicate that Heskett maintained a relatively low balance in his checking account for much of its use from June 2013 through September 2014, even being overdrawn by $1 to $5 on several occasions. 

But there was one inconsistency that prosecutors highlighted. Wolverton told jurors that there was an out-of-the-ordinary deposit of $2,000 in June 2014. 

Defense attorney Mike Warner noted, however, that Wolverton could not know the origin of that $2,000, nor did Wolverton know if Heskett was “squirreling away” cash at his home to make the deposit.

If the content in this article is causing you to have suicidal thoughts contact Your Life Counts.

I am interested in this story because Heskett says that the death was an assisted suicide. I am not stating that this didn't occur, but it is possible to cause death and claim assisted suicide as a defense. Further coverage of the case tomorrow.

Kansas murder trial, defense claims it was assisted suicide (Day 3).

Alex Schadenberg

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Two days ago I wrote about the first day of the Heskett murder trial and yesterday I wrote about the second day of the trial in Eudora Kansas. The trial continues today.

The case concerns the death of Vance Moulton (65), who was living with cerebral palsy. Moulton was allegedly murdered by Ronald Eugene Heskett (49), who was his care-giver. Heskett has been charged with first-degree murder, but he claims that the death was an assisted suicide.

Assisted suicide is when someone assists the suicide death that is carried our by the person who died. It can be done in many ways. Euthanasia is a form of homicide (murder) that is done when one person directly and intentionally causes the death of another person.

Ronald Heskett

The third day of the murder trial focused on the second interview with the police where Heskett confessed to assisting the suicide of Moulton. The Lawrence Journal-World reported:

In Thursday’s video, which was recorded during a second police interview on Sept. 22, 2014, Lawrence Police Department detectives Mike Verbanic and Sam Harvey challenged Heskett’s original story. 

“We talked to the coroner. They had some doubts,” one of the detectives said. “This is not a typical case of suicide.” 

After the detectives mentioned the “doubts,” Heskett grew uncharacteristically quiet in the video. 

... But after some time, Heskett eventually incriminates himself, first by saying he rolled up the towel for Moulton because Moulton couldn’t do it himself. Heskett alleged this happened after Moulton asked Heskett to shoot him or smother him with a pillow that morning. 

“I told him I’d roll up the towel and I’d just leave it there, but I wasn’t going to do it,” Heskett told detectives. “He told me to leave and go do some errands. I didn’t think that he’d do it.” 

Later, more of the story came out. After further questioning, Heskett told detectives that Moulton told him that if Heskett was really his friend, Heskett would kill him. 

“(Moulton) said he just wanted to see his mom and be able to walk again,” Heskett said. “He said he wanted to show her what it was like not being crippled.” 

Then, Heskett told detectives he notice a towel on Moulton’s pillow, “flipped it around,” then wrapped it around Moulton’s neck and twisted it tight, giving the ends to Moulton to hold. 

“Van had trouble holding it,” Heskett said. “He told me he kept losing his grip. He wanted me to tie it tighter for him. I twisted it tighter.” 

Heskett said that he kept twisting until he said Moulton’s ears turned purple, then tucked the ends underneath Moulton’s head for Moulton to lie on. Heskett said that it “seemed like forever” before Moulton died, his body “twitching” as his life slipped away. 

Heskett said he then checked Moulton’s wrist for a pulse, found none, and sat in silence for a while in Moulton’s room before reporting the incident to his boss. 

In the video, detectives were seen leaving Heskett in the interview room alone for approximately 15 minutes. During that time, Heskett pulled a pocket knife from his jeans pocket and began slicing and poking his left wrist with the blade. Watching the ordeal, several jurors winced. 

When detectives returned to the room, they immediately disarmed Heskett and called for medics. Heskett had one slice to arm treated, but it was not actively bleeding and detectives described it as “superficial.” 

Heskett is heard in the video telling detectives that he cut himself because he felt “so guilty.” 

But later in the interview, when detectives asked if he was sorry for helping Moulton die, Heskett said, “I regret helping him, but I’m glad he’s not hurting.” 

Harvey said, though, that investigators discovered that about $13,000 was missing from Moulton’s possession after he died. Harvey said he suspected the money may have had something to do with Moulton’s death. 

After Heskett’s confession and suicide attempt, detectives asked Heskett about the money and some of Heskett’s finances. Moulton’s money had come from two government checks cashed in April and May of 2014, and had at one point been in Moulton’s safety deposit box. 

Heskett told investigators that Moulton had withdrawn the money and placed it in a dresser drawer in his apartment because he planned to buy a wheelchair-accessible van. But Harvey said the $13,000 in cash was never found, even after investigators searched the dresser drawer. 

Heskett had some unusual activity in his bank account in June of 2014, when Harvey said a deposit of about $2,000 was made. Harvey said Heskett also purchased a Chevrolet Chevelle around that time, which stood out because Heskett’s family had limited funds.

If the content in this article is causing you to have suicidal thoughts contact Your Life Counts.

I am interested in this story because Heskett says that the death was an assisted suicide. I am not stating that this didn't occured, but it is possible to cause death and claim assisted suicide as a defense. Further coverage of the case tomorrow.

Kansas murder trial, defense claims it was assisted suicide (Day 2).

Alex Schadenberg

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Yesterday I wrote about the first day of the Ronald Heskett trial in Eudora Kansas.

The case concerns the death of Vance Moulton (65), who was living with cerebral palsy. Moulton was allegedly murdered by Heskett, who was a care-giver. Heskett has been charged with first-degree murder, but he claims that the death was an assisted suicide.

Assisted suicide is when someone assists the suicide death that is carried our by the person who died. It can be done in many ways. Euthanasia is a form of homicide (murder) that is done when one person directly and intentionally causes the death of another person.

According to the Lawrence Journal World news, day 2 of the trial focused on the defense, who claim that Heskett did not murder Moulton by asphyxiation. According to the news report:

Heskett said he called his boss to report Moulton had killed himself while Heskett was out running errands for him. Heskett told police that he arrived ... around 10 a.m. Sept. 12, 2014, and found Moulton dead of apparent asphyxiation.

... Heskett told investigators of his daily routine with Moulton. At least four times a week, Heskett said he would tend to Moulton, cooking, dressing and bathing him. Each morning, Heskett said they’d watch the Top 40 Country Countdown together on TV and talk sports. Heskett said Moulton, a St. Louis Cardinals fan, would often kid Heskett about his baseball team, the Kansas City Royals. 

“We were pretty close,” Heskett said. “To me, he was like an older brother or an uncle or something.” 

But about six months prior to Moulton’s death, Heskett claimed, Moulton grew increasingly pessimistic, allegedly asking Heskett daily to “shoot him.” 

... “Every day he was upset about life.” 

Heskett claimed Moulton was especially irritated with his living arrangements ... that Moulton was angry with his landlord because Moulton felt the landlord caused a prior health care attendant to be fired. 

Moulton also was allegedly torn by the thoughts of his medical condition. 

Heskett said that he tried to console Moulton. He said he relayed to Moulton his own prior suicide attempt. ... he told Moulton “things got better” after he survived an attempt ... in the late 1980s. 

Heskett also claimed that he tried to get Moulton to see a counselor, but Moulton wouldn’t have it. 

...  Moulton allegedly asked Heskett to have his son shoot him, but Heskett told him, “You’re not sending my son to prison.”

Ronald Heskett

Heskett claims that the death was a suicide.

“(Moulton) can pull himself around on that bed,” Heskett said. “His cerebral palsy affected his legs … his right arm and hand was just a good as yours or mine.”

But Erik Mitchell, the county coroner, claims that due to his medical condition it was not possible for Moulton to kill himself in this manner:

“It would not be possible (for Moulton) to ... cause suffocation, Mitchell said.

“At the time of death, the right arm is immobile by gravity,” Mitchell said. “He is unable to accomplish strangulation due to his physical deformities.” 

If the content in this article is causing you to have suicidal thoughts contact Your Life Counts.

I am interested in this story because Heskett says that the death was an assisted suicide. I am not stating that this didn't occur, but it is possible to cause death and claim assisted suicide as a defense. Further coverage of the case tomorrow.

Kansas murder trial, defense claims it was assisted suicide (Day 1).

Alex Schadenberg

By Alex Schadenberg

Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The murder trial of Ronald Eugene Heskett (49), in Eudora Kansas began yesterday.

The case concerns the death of Vance Moulton (65), who was living with cerebral palsy. Heskett, who was a care-giver for Moulton, has been charged with first-degree murder. Heskett claims that the death was an assisted suicide.

Assisted suicide is when someone assists the suicide death that is carried our by the person who died. It can be done in many ways. Euthanasia is a form of homicide (murder) that is done when one person directly and intentionally causes the death of another person.

According to the Lawrence Journal-World:

Prosecutor Eve Kemple stated that Heskett suffocated Moulton for financial gain. 

Moulton, of Lawrence, had cerebral palsy, which restricted his mobility, Douglas County Coroner Erik Mitchell testified Tuesday. Mitchell said he ruled Moulton’s death a homicide by asphyxiation. 

... Moulton was seen hours after he was pronounced dead the morning of Sept. 12, 2014, lying on his right side with a purple towel ... around his neck, the ends extending behind him. 

... Mitchell said he also found petechiae, or dot-like hemorrhages in Moulton’s face and eyelids, plus a rug burn-type scrape beneath his chin. Mitchell said the petechiae and abrasion were consistent with being suffocated ... 

Mitchell said that because of Moulton’s limited mobility — he had control of just his right arm — it would not be possible for Moulton ... to asphyxiate himself.

Ronald Heskett

Lawrence police officer, Dan Ashley, who did the investigation, also took the stand. Ashley stated that Heskett claimed that Moulton had a history of depression, but Kemple stated that evidence would show that Moulton was not taking anti-depressants. The article stated:

Ashley said that while they weren’t talking, Heskett would say things apparently to himself such as, “Why did you do this now? We almost had you out of this place.”

one thing that distressed Moulton in the months prior to his death was that Moulton despised his landlord and wanted to move from his apartment complex. Kemple indicated that Moulton was getting close to being able to move.

If the content in this article is causing you to have suicidal thoughts contact Your Life Counts.

I am interested in this story because Heskett claims that the death was an assisted suicide. I am not stating that this has occured, but it is possible to cause death and claim assisted suicide as a defense. Further coverage of the case tomorrow.

Selling Suicide with George Soros' Money

The following article was written by Anne Hendershott and published in the Washington Examiner on April 4, 2013.

George Soros

Selling Suicide with George Soros's Money

As Connecticut lawmakers begin public hearings on assisted suicide this month, national advocacy groups like Compassion & Choices will mobilize to help create the illusion that the proposed bill is a grassroots initiative.

It isn't.

Contrary to the claims of those legislators who are promoting the bill, there is no grassroots cry for assisted suicide. Rather, there is an effort by well-funded advocacy groups to make Connecticut the leader in assisted suicide in the Northeast.

If the General Assembly votes to legalize the practice, it will be the first state legislature to do so. Lawmakers have already promised to push it forward. They know there is a payoff for promoting this bill, much of it coming from George Soros through Compassion & Choices.

Soros has been one of the biggest donors to Compassion & Choices. In 2010, Compassion & Choices was listed as one of the "top 75 Grantees" of the Soros American Foundations.

Receiving $1 million from the Soros Foundation in 2010, Compassion & Choices has been able to convince Connecticut lawmakers that it would be in their best interest to promote "death with dignity" in the state.

Derek Humphry

Selling suicide to lawmakers involves convincing them that it is in their best interest. Changing the name of their suicide group was the first step. In a filing in Colorado on Oct. 29, 2004, the Hemlock Foundation for End of Life Choices changed its name to Compassion & Choices.

Life memberships were grandfathered -- perhaps no one noticed the irony -- and quickly forgotten was all of the negative publicity that accompanied Derek Humphry, founder of the Hemlock Society. Humphry's wife and his ex-wife ended their lives through suicide.

Connecticut's residents are already seeing the marketing campaign. The advocates have advanced their cause with compelling stories of suffering patients whose last hours were eased by a courageous family member who assisted with the suicide.

But the New York Times reported that in Washington and Oregon, suicide-prescribing doctors who submitted forms to the state admitted that all of those who chose the suicide option chose it because of fears of a lack of autonomy -- not protracted pain.

While most of those promoting assisted suicide in Connecticut promise that their bill will finally end the kinds of painful deaths that so many people fear, the reality is that Connecticut has some of the best hospice care and pain management in the country.

That may change now that Soros has also gotten involved in the funding for palliative care. In 2010, Soros gave $2.7 million to the Partnership for Palliative Care.

At a conference in Chicago called "Heights of Compassion: Bridges to Choice," advocates from palliative care and the assisted suicide communities held joint meetings in an attempt to find "common ground" enabled by more than $3.7 million of Soros' money.

Soros will continue this commitment. In 1994, he donated $15 million to the Project on Death in America. In an introduction to the 2003 Report of Activities of the Project on Death in America, published by the Open Society, Soros wrote a personal essay titled "Reflections on Death in America," in which he disclosed that he admired his mother's having "joined the Hemlock Society."

Soros claimed that his mother "had at her hand the means of doing away with herself." He recalls asking her "if she needed my help."

Attempts to pass assisted suicide bills will continue. But suicide is still a hard sell. Massachusetts' voters just defeated a similar bill. Maine has also. But, in Connecticut, the legislature is attempting to bypass the voters.

If it does this, it will empower those promoting suicide in Vermont, New Jersey, Kansas and Hawaii. Massachusetts will try again. For Soros, it will be money well spent.

Anne Hendershott is a distinguished visiting professor of public affairs at King's College in New York City and the author of "The Politics of Deviance" (Encounter Books). She is a Connecticut resident.