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Daily Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Telegraph
Suicide pod doctor dies after ‘strangling' claim
Don't miss out on the headlines from Innovation. Followed categories will be added to My News. A prominent euthanasia advocate has died months after he was detained by Swiss authorities on suspicion of strangling the first person to use a controversial 3D-printed 'suicide capsule' after the device allegedly failed to work. Dr Florian Willet, 47, died in Germany on May 5, according to an obituary by Australian right-to-die activist Dr Philip Nitschke posted on the website of The Last Resort, the assisted dying group founded by Dr Willet. 'He is dearly missed,' Dr Nitschke wrote. Dr Nitschke, the founder of pro-euthanasia group Exit International, is the inventor of the 'Sarco' capsule, which was used by a chronically ill US woman in a Swiss forest on September 23 last year. Dr Willet was the only person present for the death and called police who later took him into custody. The 'Sarco' cost $1.5 million to develop, according to Dr Nitschke, and allows a person sitting reclined in a seat to push a button that floods the chamber with nitrogen gas. Within minutes, the user is supposed to slip into unconsciousness before they die of suffocation. On October 26, Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reported the Swiss prosecutor had indicated in court that the 64-year-old woman might have actually been strangled. Dr Nitschke said 'this allegation has no foundation'. He said Dr Willet was held in pre-trial detention for 70 days until December 2. Dr Florian Willet has died in Germany. Picture: Supplied 'When Florian was released suddenly and unexpectedly from pre-trial detention in early December 2024, he was a changed man,' he wrote. 'Gone was his warm smile and self-confidence. In its place was a man who was deeply traumatised by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation. In the early days of 2025, Florian 'fell' from the third floor of his Zurich apartment building. He would spend the following three months undergoing surgery and in rehab in Switzerland. During this time he was cared for by a full psychiatric team.' Dr Willet's psychiatric discharge report in January stated that he was suffering from 'an acute polymorphic psychotic disorder (F23.0) which is currently subsiding under antipsychotic therapy, and which has developed following the stress of the pre-trial detention and the associated processes', according to Dr Nitschke. 'Florian's spirit was broken,' he wrote. Euthanasia campaigner Dr Philip Nitschke and his Sarco pod. Picture: Supplied 'He knew that he did nothing illegal or wrong, but his belief in the rule of law in Switzerland was in tatters. In the final months of his life, Dr Florian Willet shouldered more than any man should. He was bravely present when the Sarco was used. Everyone needs a Florian by their side in their final moments. Florian has now paid the ultimate price — his life — for his compassion. Florian will live forever in our hearts.' Dr Nitschke first broke his silence on the controversy in a November interview with the Associated Press, telling the wire service he was 'desperate' about the plight of Dr Willet. 'It is absurd because we've got film that the capsule wasn't opened,' he said. 'She got in herself, pressed the button herself.' Other people were also arrested after the woman's death, including a journalist with a Dutch newspaper, but were later released. Dr Nitschke said the woman, from the US midwest, had 'compromised immune function' that made her 'subject to chronic infection'. In a separate interview, Dr Nitschke said Dr Willet had told him the death had been 'peaceful, fast, and dignified'. Dr Nitschke said he had been told the pod's use would be legal in Switzerland, one of the few countries foreigners can come to legally end their life. — with NCA NewsWire Originally published as Suicide pod doctor dies after 'strangling' claim
News.com.au
8 hours ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Suicide pod doctor dies after ‘strangling' claim
A prominent euthanasia advocate has died months after he was detained by Swiss authorities on suspicion of strangling the first person to use a controversial 3D-printed 'suicide capsule' after the device allegedly failed to work. Dr Florian Willet, 47, died in Germany on May 5, according to an obituary by Australian right-to-die activist Dr Philip Nitschke posted on the website of The Last Resort, the assisted dying group founded by Dr Willet. 'He is dearly missed,' Dr Nitschke wrote. Dr Nitschke, the founder of pro-euthanasia group Exit International, is the inventor of the 'Sarco' capsule, which was used by a chronically ill US woman in a Swiss forest on September 23 last year. Dr Willet was the only person present for the death and called police who later took him into custody. The 'Sarco' cost $1.5 million to develop, according to Dr Nitschke, and allows a person sitting reclined in a seat to push a button that floods the chamber with nitrogen gas. Within minutes, the user is supposed to slip into unconsciousness before they die of suffocation. On October 26, Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reported the Swiss prosecutor had indicated in court that the 64-year-old woman might have actually been strangled. Dr Nitschke said 'this allegation has no foundation'. He said Dr Willet was held in pre-trial detention for 70 days until December 2. 'When Florian was released suddenly and unexpectedly from pre-trial detention in early December 2024, he was a changed man,' he wrote. 'Gone was his warm smile and self-confidence. In its place was a man who was deeply traumatised by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation. In the early days of 2025, Florian 'fell' from the third floor of his Zurich apartment building. He would spend the following three months undergoing surgery and in rehab in Switzerland. During this time he was cared for by a full psychiatric team.' Dr Willet's psychiatric discharge report in January stated that he was suffering from 'an acute polymorphic psychotic disorder (F23.0) which is currently subsiding under antipsychotic therapy, and which has developed following the stress of the pre-trial detention and the associated processes', according to Dr Nitschke. 'Florian's spirit was broken,' he wrote. 'He knew that he did nothing illegal or wrong, but his belief in the rule of law in Switzerland was in tatters. In the final months of his life, Dr Florian Willet shouldered more than any man should. He was bravely present when the Sarco was used. Everyone needs a Florian by their side in their final moments. Florian has now paid the ultimate price — his life — for his compassion. Florian will live forever in our hearts.' Dr Nitschke first broke his silence on the controversy in a November interview with the Associated Press, telling the wire service he was 'desperate' about the plight of Dr Willet. 'It is absurd because we've got film that the capsule wasn't opened,' he said. 'She got in herself, pressed the button herself.' Other people were also arrested after the woman's death, including a journalist with a Dutch newspaper, but were later released. Dr Nitschke said the woman, from the US midwest, had 'compromised immune function' that made her 'subject to chronic infection'. In a separate interview, Dr Nitschke said Mr Willet, who was the only person present for the death, had told him it had been 'peaceful, fast, and dignified'. Dr Nitschke said he had been told the pod's use would be legal in Switzerland, one of the few countries foreigners can come to legally end their life.
India Today
2 days ago
- Health
- India Today
Euthanasia advocate arrested in suicide pod case kills himself, cites trauma
Dr Florian Willet, a leading euthanasia advocate and co-president of The Last Resort, died by assisted suicide in Germany following months of psychological trauma stemming from his arrest in Switzerland, as reported by Sky News. He was was the only person present during the death of a 64-year-old American woman who used the Sarco pod—an assisted suicide device—in a forest cabin in Merishausen, northern Switzerland, in September 2024. The Sarco pod, developed by Exit International and valued at over $1 million, is designed to allow a person to initiate the assisted dying process by pressing a button inside the capsule, Sky News further arrested Willet at the scene and placed him in pre-trial detention for 70 days. Prosecutors alleged that the pod had malfunctioned and claimed the woman suffered injuries consistent with strangulation. Exit International refuted the allegation, saying that the assisted suicide was filmed, and the footage was submitted to authorities. 'There was no foundation for the allegation,' Exit International said in a statement. Dr Willet had described the woman's death as 'peaceful, fast and dignified.'The Sarco pod's inventor, Dr Philip Nitschke, confirmed Willet's death and defended the pod's functionality. 'I was pleased that the Sarco had performed exactly as it had been designed to provide an elective, non-drug, peaceful death at the time of the person's choosing,' he said. He added that Swiss legal advice confirmed the device's use was within the his release from detention in early December, Willet reportedly became a 'changed man.' According to Dr Nitschke, 'his spirit was broken,' and he 'seemed deeply traumatised by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation.'Willet sought psychiatric help in Zurich during Christmas but discharged himself before New Year's Eve. In January, he fell from the third floor of his Zurich apartment. Dr Nitschke said he 'did serious damage' and was later diagnosed with an acute polymorphic disorder triggered by the stress of pre-trial Last Resort said that the arrest had left Willet "broken." The group, affiliated with Exit International, was founded by Willet to support the use of the Sarco inputs from Sky News and BBC
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Who was Dr Florian Willet? Euthanasia activist dies by assisted suicide after traumatic arrest
Dr. Florian Willet, a right-to-die campaigner who was held for using a 'suicide pod' for the first time, has died by assisted suicide in Switzerland, as per the device's inventor, the UK Independent reported. Dr. Florian Willet, 47, was arrested in 2024 on suspicion of 'inciting and abetting suicide' and 'strong suspicion of the commission of an intentional homicide' in relation to the demise of a 64-year-old woman. In December, Willet was released from detention two months after authorities ruled out the possibility of a deliberate homicide. Dr. Philip Nitschke, the head of Exit International and the man behind the Sarco pod, claimed that Dr. Willet suffered from severe psychological issues. Dr. Nitschke informed the Dutch news agency Volkskrant that Dr. Willet committed suicide last month. Dr. Nitschke further stated that Florian was a different person when he was abruptly and surprisingly freed from pre-trial prison in early December 2024. 'Gone was his warm smile and self-confidence. In its place was a man who seemed deeply traumatised by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation.' Also Read: What is The Detroit Cowboy? Trump promotes Kid Rock's new 'MAGA' restaurant in Nashville after ICE raid The activist's companion Laura told the Dutch media that he had transformed after the arrest. According to her, 'This friendly, positive man had changed into an anxious, suspicious person who no longer trusted even his best friends.' Stressing that Willet lived in his own universe, Laura said that he grew more estranged from his friends. Dr. Willet, the leader of the euthanasia advocacy group The Last Resort, was freed by Schaffhausen authorities in the northern part of the district following the alleged first use of the Sarco suicide capsule, a sealed container that emits gas at the touch of a button. While the officials no longer suspected deliberate homicide, the Swiss prosecutors said they still had a 'strong suspicion of the crime of inciting and abetting suicide.' Dr. Nitschke described the claims that the woman may have been choked as 'absurd,' adding that he saw the woman's death on camera in a wood in the Schaffhausen area close to the German border.
Sky News
3 days ago
- Health
- Sky News
Dr Florian Willet: Euthanasia advocate dies after being arrested over woman's 'suicide capsule' death
A euthanasia advocate has died after being detained following a woman's "suicide capsule" death in Switzerland. Dr Florian Willet, who was arrested over the first reported use of the Sarco pod, died on 5 May, months after falling from the third floor of his building, according to an obituary written by Australian-born doctor Philip Nitschke, who invented the capsule. Dr Willet was the co-president of The Last Resort, a Swiss affiliate of assisted dying group Exit International, and was the only person present during the death of a 64-year-old American woman in a forest cabin in Merishausen, northern Switzerland, in September 2024. Exit International said the woman suffered from "severe immune compromise" and she was the first person to die using the 3D-printed Sarco pod, which it said cost more than $1m (£747,440) to develop. The capsule is designed to allow a person inside to push a button that begins the assisted dying procedure. Dr Willet was arrested in the Swiss forest and placed in pre-trial detention for 70 days, with a prosecutor alleging that the pod had not worked and the woman had instead suffered injuries consistent with strangulation. Exit International claimed there was "no foundation" for the allegation, and previously said in a statement that the assisted suicide had been filmed and the footage had been provided to the prosecution. Dr Willet had described the woman's death as "peaceful, fast and dignified", Exit International said. Dr Nitschke, who lives in the Netherlands, said he was "pleased that the Sarco had performed exactly as it had been designed... to provide an elective, non-drug, peaceful death at the time of the person's choosing". He added that his organisation received advice from Swiss lawyers that using the Sarco would be legal in the country. Dr Willet was released from pre-trial detention in early December, but "he was a changed man" who lost his smile and self-confidence, whose "spirit was broken" and who "seemed deeply traumatised by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation", according to Dr Nitschke. The 47-year-old sought psychiatric support in Zurich at Christmas, but discharged himself from the clinic before New Year's Eve. In January, Dr Willet fell from the third floor of his Zurich flat. "He did serious damage," Dr Nitschke said, claiming doctors had diagnosed Dr Willet with an acute polymorphic disorder brought on by "the stress of the pre-trial detention and the associated pressures". Dr Willet had surgery and went to rehab for his injuries in the three months after his fall. On 5 May, he died by assisted suicide in Cologne, Germany, Dutch newspaper Volkskrant reports. Assisted dying is legal in Germany. Swiss law allows assisted suicide so long as the person takes his or her life with no "external assistance" and those who help the person die do not do so for "any self-serving motive". Switzerland is among the only countries in the world where foreigners can travel to legally end their lives. It is home to several organisations dedicated to helping people achieve this. However, some politicians have argued the law is unclear and sought to close what they say are legal loopholes, with health minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider suggesting the use of the Sarco would not be legal.
