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KINGSTON, N.Y. (AP) — 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 Tuesday under an agreement that spares him from prison.
Stephen Miller, of Tucson, was arrested earlier this year on a charge of second-degree manslaughter 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. His attorney said Miller is infirm and did not want to die in prison.
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 woman's body was found Nov. 9 by housekeeping staff. Authorities concluded the woman had died “by means of assisted suicide,” according to the Ulster County district attorney’s office.
His attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, said after court that Miller simply provided comfort and “very slight technical assistance” to a woman who couldn’t live with the debilitating pain that had plagued her for decades. Lichtman has said the woman reached out to Miller because of his work with the advocacy group, Choice and Dignity.
“Technically, he violated the law,” Lichtman told reporters. “We accept that, but with the understanding that morally, Stephen Miller did nothing wrong.”
In court, Miller answered questions from Judge Bryan Rounds in a soft voice, mostly sticking to “yes” or “no” responses until the judge asked him: “Are you pleading guilty because you are, in fact, guilty of manslaughter in the second degree?”
“By your definition, yes,” Miller answered.
The judge asked the question again after explaining it was the definition found in state law. Miller then answered, “yes.”
Miller declined to speak to reporters after his appearance.
While Miller still supports legal assisted suicide, his attorney said he will not provide assistance in the future.
“That part of his life is over,” Lichtman said.
Miller had also been initially charged with two counts of assault. He pleaded not guilty in February, posted bail and returned to Arizona.
A text seeking comment was sent to the district attorney's office.
Miller had previously 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 at the time.
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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Editor’s Note: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
