William Francis Melchert-Dinkel
| William Francis Melchert-Dinkel | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 20, 1962 |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation | Former nurse; currently a truck driver |
| Known for | Charged with encouraging the suicides of a person in Britain in 2005, and another person in Canada in 2008, over the internet |
| Home town | Faribault, Minnesota |
| Criminal charge | Two counts of assisting suicide |
William Francis Melchert-Dinkel (born July 20, 1962, from Faribault, Minnesota, United States) is a former LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) who was found guilty of encouraging people to commit suicide. He allegedly told those contemplating suicide what methods worked best, that it was a decent choice to commit suicide, that they would be better off in heaven, and/or falsely entered into suicide pacts with them. He is a married father of two.
Melchert-Dinkel was originally convicted of two counts of assisting suicide, for encouraging the suicides of a person in Britain in 2005, and another person in Canada in 2008. Those convictions were later overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court when it found that part of the state law used to convict him was unconstitutional. On remand, Melchert-Dinkel was convicted on one count of assisting suicide, and one count of attempted assisting suicide.
He allegedly met his victims in internet suicide chat rooms, where he posed as a depressed woman in her 20s using aliases such as "Cami D" or "falcongirl". According to his affidavit, Melchert-Dinkel spoke to dozens of people over the course of four or five years, encouraging them to kill themselves (typically by hanging). He said he was successful in at least five instances.
He was convicted in relation to the suicide of 18-year-old Nadia Kajouji who became depressed after leaving home to begin university. A student at Ottawa's Carleton University, she jumped from a bridge and was found drowned in Rideau River near the Ottawa school in April 2008.CTV She had allegedly conversed online with someone posing as a young woman–now known to be Melchert-Dinkel–who allegedly suggested that she hang herself and gave her detailed instructions how to do it, and that she capture her final moments with a webcam so he and others could watch, as part of a joint suicide pact.St. Paul, Minnesota police said they confirmed that she "had been conversing with Melchert-Dinkel online just prior to her disappearance", including on the day of her disappearance.
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