LOUISVILLE, Colo. — The death of 91-year-old Mildred “Milsy” Roller was not just an assisted suicide, but a crime, according to Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty. He said the case marks the first time Colorado’s medical aid in dying law is at the center of a criminal prosecution.
“It’s a sad and tragic case,” Dougherty said.
Officers with the Louisville Police Department said they found Milsy inside her room at The Lodge at Balfour, a Boulder County assisted living facility, with a bag over her head connected by a tube to a nitrogen gas bottle. Beside her was a suicide note with the date changed from Feb. 5 to Feb. 18, 2024.
An indictment details text messages, purchases, and planning that prosecutors said crossed the line from the right to die into felony manslaughter. According to the indictment, texts included statements like, “We need to talk about whether mom needs a will,” and “She needs to write a suicide note and she really couldn’t today.”…