Hawaii doctor under investigation for murder in woman’s euthanasia death
by Bridget Sielicki, Live News, January 8, 2025
Authorities are investigating a doctor in Hawaii for murder, after police say he administered assisted suicide drugs to a woman, causing her death.
Under Hawaii’s euthanasia law passed in 2018 — the Our Care, Our Choice Act (OCOCA) — patients who have been approved for “assisted death” are required to self-administer the chemical concoction that will kill them. To “self-administer” means the person ”must perform an affirmative, conscious, voluntary act to take into the individual’s body the prescription medication to end the individual’s life.”
In this case, the 73-year-old doctor allegedly broke the law and assisted his 88-year-old patient in taking the lethal medication on October 9, 2024. According to the police report, at one point the woman was starting to choke and motioned for the doctor to stop — but he continued, causing her death.
After an autopsy, the Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide. According to Island News, the doctor is being investigated for second-degree murder, but as of yet no charges have been filed.
The woman’s “choking” in response to the lethal drugs meant to kill her is not an unusual side effect. Live Action News has previously reported that many people who die by euthanasia or assisted suicide actually end up drowning or suffocating to death.
“.. [W]hen a person dies by lethal injection, they basically drown,” explained anesthesiologist Dr. Joel Zivot in 2021. “Their lungs fill with fluid, and I would describe that the experience of dying under that circumstance is more akin to death by water boarding, which we recognize as cruel. … When I look at the method of dying by medical assistance in dying, the technique is strikingly similar. The pharmacology is similar in design to the death by lethal injection in the United States.”
A report released in February 2024 showed that 166 people had died by assisted suicide in Hawaii since its legalization in 2018. According to KTVZ, this is the first homicide investigation related to the OCOCA.