Latest news with #FlorianWillet
New York Times
5 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
Euthanasia Advocate Who Assisted in Woman's Suicide Dies in Germany
Florian Willet, a euthanasia advocate who was detained by Swiss authorities last year after being present when an American woman ended her life using a chamber-like device, has died. Mr. Willet's death was reported in an obituary posted on the website of The Last Resort, his assisted dying group, written by Philip Nitschke, the inventor of the device, known as a Sarco capsule. Mr. Nitschke said in an email that Mr. Willet had died by assisted suicide, but further details about his death remained unclear. The police in Germany, where Mr. Willet died, could not immediately be reached for comment. Mr. Willet, who was 47, according to the obituary, was the only person with the American woman when she died using the Sarco device in a remote forest in Switzerland in September. He was arrested, along with three others, by the Swiss authorities, who said at the time that the group was under investigation for 'aiding and abetting suicide.' The incident amplified thorny questions surrounding assisted dying even in Switzerland, where laws around the practice have led thousands of people to seek assisted death from right-to-die organizations based there in recent years. Mr. Willet was released from pretrial detention in December, after which 'he was a changed man,' Mr. Nitschke wrote. 'Gone was his warm smile and self-confidence. In its place was a man who was deeply traumatized by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
NDTV
6 days ago
- Health
- NDTV
Suicide Pod Advocate Dies By Suicide Amid Ongoing Legal Investigation
Dr. Florian Willet, a euthanasia activist, has died by suicide in Germany. Willet was arrested in September 2024, facing a 70-day detention amid a legal investigation. His mental health deteriorated post-arrest, leading to significant psychological trauma. Dr Florian Willet, 47, a German euthanasia activist and head of the Swiss right-to-die organisation The Last Resort, has died by suicide, according to BBC. His death follows a prolonged legal investigation into the assisted death of a 64-year-old American woman who utilised a "Sarco" euthanasia pod in Switzerland. Willet was arrested in September 2024 and detained for 70 days on suspicion of inciting and assisting suicide. Although allegations of strangulation were dismissed, the investigation continued, deeply affecting Willet's mental health. The Sarco pod, designed to induce a peaceful death through nitrogen gas inhalation, remains under scrutiny, and its use has been suspended pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation. The pod's inventor, Philip Nitschke, told BBC News that Dr Willet died by assisted suicide in Germany. In a separate statement, Mr Nitschke said Dr Willet had suffered psychological trauma following his arrest and detention in connection with the Switzerland death. The Sarco pod "In the final months of his life, Dr Florian Willet shouldered more than any man should," he said. The Last Resort - an assisted dying organisation founded by Dr Willet to facilitate the use of the pod - said the arrest had left him "broken". The activist was held in pre-trial detention for 70 days while police investigated whether he had intentionally killed the woman - an allegation he was not charged with. Prior to his death on 5 May, Dr Willet fell from a third-floor window, the group said, leaving him requiring surgery and needing to be "cared for by a full psychiatric team".
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Euthanasia activist arrested over 'suicide pod' dies
A pro-euthanasia activist who was arrested following the death of a woman using the world's first so-called suicide pod has died. Dr Florian Willet, 47, was reportedly the only other person present when a 64-year-old American woman took her own life using the device in a forest in Switzerland last September. The pod's inventor Philip Nitschke told BBC News that Dr Willet died by assisted suicide in Germany. In a separate statement, Mr Nitschke said Dr Willet had suffered psychological trauma following his arrest and detention in connection with the Switzerland death. If you are experiencing any of the issues mentioned in this story you can visit BBC Action Line for a list of websites and helplines that can offer direct help at any time. "In the final months of his life, Dr Florian Willet shouldered more than any man should," he said. The Last Resort - an assisted dying organisation founded by Dr Willet to facilitate the use of the pod - said the arrest had left him "broken". The activist was held in pre-trial detention for 70 days while police investigated whether he had intentionally killed the woman - an allegation he was not charged with. Prior to his death on 5 May, Dr Willet fell from a third-floor window, the group said, leaving him requiring surgery and needing to be "cared for by a full psychiatric team". While assisted dying is legally protected in some circumstances in Switzerland, it is strictly regulated, and the pod has encountered opposition. Advocates say the device - manufactured by Sarco - provides an assisted dying option which is not reliant on drugs or doctors and expands potential access. Critics fear the device's modern design glamorises suicide, and that the fact that it can be operated without medical oversight is concerning. Assisted dying is illegal in the UK and in most other European countries, but thousands have travelled to Switzerland over the years to end their own lives. BBC News has contacted the Swiss prosecutor's office for comment.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
He Helped a Woman Die in a 'Suicide Pod' — Now the Controversial Advocate Has Died by Suicide Himself
Florian Willet was arrested after a 64-year-old American woman died using the 3D-printed Sarco suicide pod in Switzerland Prosecutors briefly suspected Willet of strangulation, but the allegation was later dropped and he was released without charges Willet died by assisted suicide in May 2025 following months of legal scrutiny and reported psychological trauma from the caseMonths after an American woman's family sued over her controversial death inside a 3D-printed "suicide pod," the Swiss euthanasia activist who helped make it possible has taken his own life. Florian Willet, the 47-year-old president of Swiss right-to-die organization The Last Resort, died on May 5 in Cologne, Germany with the help of a specialized organization, according to The Times UK, SwissInfo and The New York Post. Willet's death comes months after he was arrested and held in pre-trial detention for 70 days in connection with the controversial suicide of a 64-year-old American woman in Switzerland, according to the outlets. The woman, whose name has not been released, died in a remote forest cabin in Merishausen after entering the "Sarco pod" — a sleek-futuristic nitrogen filled capsule that had been promoted by Willet's organization as a "peaceful" way to die. The woman's family later filed a lawsuit against Willet and his organization, questioning the circumstances surrounding her death and the legal and ethical oversight — or lack thereof — in her use of the pod, per the outlets. Swiss prosecutors eventually declined to press international homicide charges, but initially accused Willet of assisting in the woman's suicide without proper authorization and subjected him to months of investigation and public scrutiny, the outlets reported. They initially suspected Willet of intentional homicide after discovering marks on the woman's neck, which led to his arrest, per the outlets. However, the strangulation allegation was later dismissed, and Willet was released from detention in December 2024. After his release, the Schaffhausen public prosecutor's office announced that there was no suspicion of homicide in the case. However, they said that there was a "strong suspicion of inciting and assisting suicide." It is illegal to encourage a person to take their own life for "selfish motives," such as financial gain, in Sweden. Self-publicity could also be considered a selfish motive, lawyers told The Times. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Philip Nitschke, the Australian activist and founder of Exit International who invented the pod, said in a statement on The Last Resort's website that Willet was "broken" after his time behind bars: "When Florian was released suddenly and unexpectedly from pre-trial detention in early December 2024, he was a changed man. Gone was his warm smile and self-confidence," Nitschke said. 'In its place was a man who was deeply traumatized by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation.' The statement said that Willet had been suffering from "acute polymorphic psychotic disorder" — according to the National Institute of Health, the disorder is characterized by a mixture of sudden-onset symptoms, including hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized behavior. Switzerland is among few countries where foreigners can travel to legally end their lives via assisted suicide, but Swiss officials have not yet approved the Sarco pod for the original article on People
Daily Mirror
03-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Suicide pod activist's desperate two-word warning before he killed himself
Dr Florian Willet, 47, was arrested last September over the death of a 64-year-old woman who died in a Sarco pod in a forest near Merishausen, Switzerland A suicide pod activist who took his own life was left "broken" and "deeply traumatised" after being arrested by police over the death of a woman. Dr Florian Willet, 47, was arrested last September over the death of a 64-year-old woman who died in a Sarco pod in a forest near Merishausen, Switzerland. At the time of the woman's death, police initially claimed there were strangulation marks on her neck, and as he was the only person present at the time of the woman's death, he was arrested by authorities. Dr Willet was taken away by police and remained in custody for 70 days while investigators explored the circumstances surrounding her death. Prosecutors said there was a "strong suspicion'" that '"intentional homicide" was involved. 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,' says a government website. The Sarco was designed to allow a person sitting in its reclining seat to push a button that injects nitrogen gas into the sealed chamber. The person is then supposed to fall unconscious and die by suffocation in a few minutes. Sarco pod inventor Dr Philip Nitschke Willet said Dr Willet was admitted to psychiatric hospital twice before his death on May 5 after he was "deeply traumatised" by the arrest. In a statement, he said: "When Florian was released suddenly and unexpectedly from pre-trial detention in early December 2024, he was a changed man. "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." Dr Willet died last month "with the help of a specialised organisation", having 'fallen' from the third floor of his home in Zurich earlier this year, which caused "serious damage". He believes the activist had developed "an acute polymorphic psychotic disorder" brought on "following the stress of pre-trial detention and the associated processes", adding: "No one was surprised. "Florian's spirit was broken. 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." In a warning of what was to come, Dr Willett once said he had "considered suicide" at the age of five after his dad killed himself when he was just 14. He said before his arrest: "I was extremely sad because I loved my father. But, I understood immediately my father wanted to do this because he was a rational person, which means that expecting him to remain alive just because I need a father would mean extending his suffering."
