LOUISVILLE, CO – A grand jury has indicted two people on manslaughter charges for allegedly helping a 91-year-old woman end her life at a Colorado independent living facility, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Kim Roller, 70, and David Norton, 68, each face one count of manslaughter by aiding suicide in connection with the February 2024 death of Mildred “Milsy” Roller at The Lodge at Balfour in Louisville.
Staff at the facility discovered Mildred on February 18, 2024, with a clear bag over her head and a plastic tube connected to a nitrogen gas tank, according to the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.
Investigators determined that Roller, who is Mildred’s daughter, and Norton had purchased the nitrogen gas and equipment used in her death. Prosecutors say the pair consulted with the Final Exit Network, a right-to-die organization, but failed to follow the legal requirements outlined in Colorado’s End-of-Life Options Act.
“The law provides requirements and safeguards that were not followed here,” Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty stated.
Court documents reveal that Mildred had $655,540 in savings at the time of her death, and both defendants were listed as beneficiaries.
Kim Roller’s sister was also present during the incident, though it remains unclear whether she will face charges.
Both Roller and Norton are being held on $5,000 bail.
As part of the investigation, the Final Exit Network agreed to improve its educational materials to warn members about compliance with Colorado law.
Colorado’s End-of-Life Options Act, also known as the medical aid-in-dying law, allows terminally ill patients to request medication to end their lives but requires specific medical evaluations and procedures that prosecutors say were not followed in this case.
I absolutely fully support right-to-die and medical aid in dying, as long as it is done legally, within the safeguards provided by various state governments. The decision must always belong to the patient, and I can’t tell from the article whether the patient herself had requested it Also, most state laws do not authorize oxygen deprivation as a means of providing medical aid in dying.