TORONTO — The brother of a Carleton University student who killed herself in 2008 says whatever happens to the a U.S. man originally charged with trying to encourage her to commit suicide won't bring her back.
William Melchert-Dinkel, a former nurse from Minnesota, was convicted in 2014 of attempting to assist the suicide of 18-year-old Nadia Kajouji, of Brampton, Ont., who died after jumping into the Rideau River.
But the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled Monday that there wasn't enough evidence to uphold Melchert-Dinkel's conviction in Kajouji's death.
The court, however, upheld his conviction on the higher charge of assisting the suicide of a British man, saying he gave 32-year-old Mark Drybrough, of Coventry, England, detailed instructions on how to hang himself.
Kajouji's brother, Marc, says the original sentence of 180 days in jail for Melchert-Dinkel wasn't enough punishment and would never bring his sister back and the overturned conviction still doesn't change that.
Marc Kajouji says he is trying to raise awareness about suicide in Canada and wants the federal government to push forward with a national prevention strategy.
He says he's seen positive changes in the way Canadians discuss suicide, but those words must be turned into policy and funding for programs to lower the suicide rate — about 11 suicides per 100,000 people — which has remained unchanged for many years.
