Former doctor accused of assisting NY woman's suicide pleads guilty to manslaughter
A former doctor from Arizona who was charged with manslaughter after allegedly helping a woman commit suicide in an upstate New York motel room has pleaded guilty to the charge.
Stephen Miller, 85, of Tucson was arrested this year for second-degree manslaughter. A provision of New York law allows individuals to face the charge if they intentionally cause or aid in another person’s suicide.
The plea agreement made in state court stipulates that Miller will serve five years of probation.
Miller traveled from Arizona to a motel in Kingston, New York, to be with the woman at the time of her death.
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Housekeeping staff discovered the woman’s body on Nov. 9, 2023. The Ulster County district attorney’s office said at the time that the Kingston police, fire and emergency workers concluded the woman died "by means of assisted suicide."
Miller was arraigned in February for second-degree manslaughter and two counts of assault after voluntarily surrendering and originally pleading not guilty.
On Tuesday, Miller’s attorney, Jeffrey Lichtman, said his client provided comfort and "very slight technical assistance" to a woman who could not live with the debilitating pain that had plagued her for decades.
Lichtman also said the woman reached out to Miller because of his work with the advocacy group Choice and Dignity.
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"Technically, he violated the law," the attorney told reporters. "We accept that, but with the understanding that morally, Stephen Miller did nothing wrong."
During his court hearing, Miller softly answered questions from Judge Bryan Rounds.
"Are you pleading guilty because you are, in fact, guilty of manslaughter in the second degree," Rounds asked.
"By your definition, yes," Miller answered before the judge explained the definition was found in state law.
Rounds then asked Miller the same question once more, which Miller answered, "Yes."
Miller declined to respond to questions from reporters after his appearance, the Associated Press reported.
Miller lost his license to practice medicine upon his conviction for tax fraud in Texas. Miller was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to just under four years in prison, according to a Department of Justice news release.
Several states allow medical aid for dying, though efforts to legalize it in New York have stalled in the state legislature.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.