Man gets prison for NY self-help speaker's death

[Akoto]

Source: Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- A man convicted of murdering a debt-ridden motivational speaker was sentenced Monday to at least two decades in prison in a case that tested the bounds of assisted suicide.

Speaking in court for the first time about Jeffrey Locker's July 2009 death, Kenneth Minor said his own life had "ended that day" that he accepted Locker's offer to pay to be killed in a seeming robbery so his family could collect millions of dollars in insurance money.

"In the end, Mr. Locker is where he wanted to be," said Minor, 38, his voice sometimes breaking as he spoke. "I'm no animal, and I ain't got no malice in my heart."

-snip-

The case was unusual for broaching the concept of assisted suicide in the context of strangers staging a seeming street crime.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MOTIVATIONAL_SPEAKER_KILLED?SITE=KYB66&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[dmallind]

1. If we weren't as a society ridden with mumbo-jumbo and superstition none of this would be needed

There is absolutely no sane reason to even consider the idea that a person's life belongs to anyone else, and is not theirs alone to do with as they wish, including end it with or without the willing help of others. Without oogy-boogy big sky fella bilong all life claptrap, suicide would be an outpatient service no more controversial to society at large than dispensing aspirin.

[jorno67]

4. I disagree in this case

Only because it seems more like insurance fraud than a mercy assisted suicide. If the guy wanted to die...sure it's his life, but to make it seem like a murder to collect on an insurance policy is the same as burning down your house - fraud!

[dmallind]

12. Actually I don't disagree.

But the insurance aspect is a civil matter which in any event should not involve the man who helped him, since we can assume he is not the beneficiary.

Were suicide treated sanely, the insurance issue could be slightly problematic, but could easily be covered by a "vesting" approach much like pensions, where, say, you accrue no benefit at all for suicide the first five years then 10% a year after that until you are covered fully after 15 years. It could easily be integrated into actuarial risk tables with or without that approach, but that would stop the "buy $10M policy on Tuesday and shoot self on Wednesday" loophole.

[jorno67]

15. Nope.

Insurance Fraud is not a civil matter - it is a criminal matter. If you hire someone to burn down your house so you can collect the insurance money the guy who sets the fire still goes to jail - he just takes you with him. In this case you are the house and he is the only one left to go to jail.

[dmallind]

16. Then I DO disagree

IANAL, or even all that concerned about legalities, so I am assuming what you say is true, but in that case I believe the law to be the proverbial ass.

[pitohui]

14. you support the killing of people over DEBT? would you want yr dad to kill himself over DEBT?

a depressed man flirted w. a fantasy of "they're better off without me"

he needed help and medical treatment, not some psycho stabbing him SEVEN fucking times

[dmallind]

17. I care not one iota for his reasons - his life is his. Not mine, not yours, not the law's.

I support the choice of every single sentient being to end their life if they no longer deem it worth living, for whatever reason and by whatever means that cause physical harm only to themselves. Anything else is subjugating the most integral and discrete part of that being to the will of others, and is therefore identical to removing the very basis of freedom - self-determination.

[bertman]

2. Here's a rec for every person's ability to end his/her own life when they see fit. nt

[jmowreader]

8. You endorse insurance fraud?

This man didn't kill himself because he was in pain, he did it because he wanted his wife to be able to cash in on his life insurance.

[bertman]

9. Please carefully RE-read my comment. With comprehension this time.

[Angry Dragon]

3. The Regressive Party is in the process of setting up death panels

so it should be easier in the future.............

[alcibiades_mystery]

5. He should have received 3-5 for insurance fraud

...

[3waygeek]

6. Yes, I'm a terrible person...

as I'm reading this, I can't help appreciating the irony of a self-help speaker hiring someone to kill him.

[angstlessk]

7. and exactly WHO went to prison because a man commited suicide cause his job was to be cut?

I consider THAT ASSISTED SUICIDE!

[Frank Cannon]

10. Debt-ridden motivational speaker?

Did he live in a van down by the river?

[plumbob]

11. Insurance is a moral hazard, anyway. Shouldn't be legal to sell.

The result of insurance here? One dead, one ruined.

[pitohui]

13. does no one read? killer stabbed this man 7 times, this was no suicide

there is certainly some evidence that the victim flirted w. the idea of ending his troubles & even fantasized about suicide to enrich his family but...at the end of the day...the murderer stabbed this guy SEVEN fucking times

this was not assisted suicide, this was cold-blooded murder for an ATM card, which was the murderer's take from the killing

as for the family, because of the way this killing has clouded the issue, they will not get the money intended to help them

horrible all around but if someone is so stupid and suggestible that they think it's OK to stab someone SEVEN fucking times because they're suicidal, instead of calling for emergency help for this guy or at least not encouraging in this fantasy...all i can say is, this person is dangerous and doesn't need to be out walking around

if your dad was flirting w. suicide over his debts, would you like to see him stabbed SEVEN fucking times by an opportunist?

jeez, people, this murderer is no kindly dr. k trying to save people from pain, putting dr. k in prison was a travesty, but this...this is about killing over MONEY, it was not about saving anyone a moment's pain

imagine a man comes to you and says he wants to die so his family can get rich, will you kill him? would you stab him SEVEN fucking times, erm no...i think you'd call 911 if you thought he was immediately going to hurt himself and otherwise you might report it to police, his family, his doctor or just walk away if you had no one you could tell...but you wouldn't start cutting up on the guy