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New York Times
2 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.
India Today
3 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
NDTV
3 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".
BBC News
3 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
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 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 pod's inventor Philip Nitschke told BBC News that Dr Willet died by assisted suicide 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 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 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 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 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 News has contacted the Swiss prosecutor's office for comment.
Yahoo
3 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
