The trial for the former nurse charged with encouraging Carleton University student Nadia Kajouji to commit suicide will begin in April.
Kajouji. 18, died in March 2008 after she was allegedly coaxed by Minnesota man William Melchert-Dinkel to take her life. Melchert-Dinkel is also charged in connection with the death of Mark Drybrough, 32, who committed suicide in England, in 2005.
Melchert-Dinkel used aliases in his conversations with Kajouji and Drybrough but police were able to trace online correspondence advising and encouraging them to take their lives to a computer at his Faribault, Minnesota home.
He admitted to police that he participated in online chats about suicides with at least 15 people and entered into fake suicide pacts with about ten of them.
Melchert-Dinkel allegedly pretended to be a female nurse when engaging in these conversations. He used his medical expertise to give advice on the most painless and efficient suicide methods.
He could face up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. The jury trial is scheduled to start April 11.
