After weeks of deliberation, a Minnesota judge sentenced the man convicted of aiding the 2008 suicide of Carleton student Nadia Kajouji to 360 days in jail May 4.
In the decision, the judge found that Kajouji killed herself March 10, 2008 because of encouragement and advice she received from William Melchert-Dinkel, a former nurse, through online conversations.
Dinkel, who was also convicted of aiding the suicide of Mark Drybrough, 32, admitted to entering into a suicide pact with Kajouji, but at no point had any intention of killing himself, according to a report by The Globe and Mail.
In Minnesota, most crimes are ranked based on severity and sentencing guidelines are in place to ensure uniform sentencing for crimes of a similar nature. However, with only six people having been sentenced for aiding suicide since 1991 — none of whom were convicted for committing the offence over the Internet — the crime is rare enough that it remains unranked, according to The Globe and Mail.
Under state law, he faced a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $60,000 fine for both counts.
