March 29, 2024

Judge sentences former nurse who helped people kill themselves

William Melchert-Dinkel, 48, the former nurse who encouraged the suicides of two people on internet chat rooms, was sentenced last week to 360 days in jail on a work-release program.
melchert-dinkel

William Melchert-Dinkel, 48, the former nurse who encouraged the suicides of two people on internet chat rooms, was sentenced last week to 360 days in jail on a work-release program. He was also ordered to pay $18,000 in fines and around $30,000 in restitution costs to the families of the two young people who committed suicide. Rice County District Judge Thomas Neuville ordered ordered that the jail time would include two-day stints every March and July for the next ten years, to mark the months in which his victims died.

Asreported in BioEdge, Melchert-Dinkel sought out people who were interested in committing suicide in internet chat rooms, pretended he was a female nurse who was also contemplating suicide and then tried to egg them on. Melchert-Dinkel was found guilty on March 15, when Neuville said the former nurse had “intentionally advised and encouraged” 18-year-old Nadia Kajouji, and 32-year-old Mark Drybrough, to commit suicide. 

Neuville ordered a total of 6½ years prison time and placed Melchert-Dinkel on 30 years of probation. He also ordered that Melchert-Dinkel could not work with vulnerable adults and cannot use the internet, except for work that is approved by a probation officer.

The judge said that there were many victims, and that he hoped Melchert-Dinkel “soaked up” the comments in the victim impact statements, of which there were many. The judge said the defendant had put his wife through “humiliation and shame”. Melchert-Dinkel could serve about seven months in jail, if his time is reduced for good behaviour, according to his attorney. ~ Star Tribune, May 5


Judge sentences former nurse who helped people kill themselves
Jared Yee
suicide