Winnipeg death has echo with Latimer case

Investigators handed Bert Doerksen a summons to appear in court on a charge of counseling or aiding suicide, but did not take him into custody.  He is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 12.

“We feel it’s in the public interest to lay a charge,” said Police Supt. Menno Zacharais. “In a situation where death results from the actions of anyone and those actions are illegal by law, it’s in our best interest to put this case forward.”

The body of Susan Doerksen, 78, was found in a car parked in the garage of the couple’s home on Nov. 26, 1997. A large hose attached to the car’s exhaust pipe ran through a car window, which was sealed off with cardboard and duct tape. The method of death was similar to that used by Saskatchewan farmer Robert Latimer in the killing of his 12-year-old severely disabled daughter, Tracy. Mrs. Doerksen suffered from a number of medical problems, including a severe form of arthritis, and had recently had a heart attack. The maximum sentence for assisted suicide is 14 years. There is no minimum sentence.

— via Pro-Life E News Canada