I'm not sure what to think of this. Was this murder or assisted suicide or is there even a difference between the two?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293451,00.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293451,00.html
GUILTY MO - Criste Reimer, 47, thrown from balcony, Kansas City, 14 Aug 2007
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Ooohh, how horrible and sad.
I'm also not sure if this was a case of murder or assisted suicide. I do think there's a difference between the two, especially if the wife had asked him to help put an end to her suffering. I know that if I was dying of a terminal illness and watching my family go into financial ruin, I would probably want to save my family from any more distress, so I can see the wife maybe asking her husband to assist in her suicide. However, I am a bit suspicious because being thrown off a balcony isn't exactly the most peaceful way to go--it certainly would not be one of my choices. Maybe he blew a gasket. I feel awful for the entire family.
I'm also not sure if this was a case of murder or assisted suicide. I do think there's a difference between the two, especially if the wife had asked him to help put an end to her suffering. I know that if I was dying of a terminal illness and watching my family go into financial ruin, I would probably want to save my family from any more distress, so I can see the wife maybe asking her husband to assist in her suicide. However, I am a bit suspicious because being thrown off a balcony isn't exactly the most peaceful way to go--it certainly would not be one of my choices. Maybe he blew a gasket. I feel awful for the entire family.
GlitchWizard
Reprobate
Stuff like this makes me angry at the healthcare system we have. I have a homeless friend who can't get help for his problems because he has no insurance and the hospitals don't do anything to help him when they find out. This poor man was watching his wife waste away and was already feeling hopeless and miserable. I don't think he did the right thing to kill her, of course - but tell me... WHAT SHOULD HE HAVE DONE?
... sadly, he's probably already tried whatever your answer is. :-(
... sadly, he's probably already tried whatever your answer is. :-(
Yeah, I agree about the state of our healthcare system--it's ridiculous that people have to lose everything in order to pay for necessary medical treatments. This guy was probably at the end of his rope. I think it's so sad--and maybe I am wrong to feel sympathy for this man, but I do. If that's his mugshot in the article, he looks like he's completely distraught. I don't think he thought about "getting away with it"--otherwise he would have done something less obvious than throwing her off the balcony. I just hope that it was quick and painless for his poor sick wife.
I definitely think there is a difference between murder and assisted suicide!
I've lost 2 people who were very near and dear to me due to Alzheimer's and cancer.
They both knew they were dying and both knew what an effect their illness had on their family. Both asked for assisted suicide. They were ready to die. They didn't want to suffer anymore. They couldn't do it though---assisted suicide was against the law in both their states.Jeana (DP)
Former Member
Assisted suicide only applies when the dying person asks someone to kill them, NOT when they take it upon themselves because the sick person is costing them too much money. This is murder just as if he had shot her.
txsvicki
Active Member
I agree. The throwing over the balcony could have been trying to make it really look like a suicide and he had nothing to do with it all.
Jeana (DP)
Former Member
Maybe, except as soon as police got there, the first thing he said was "she didn't jump." So, it seems to me like he just wanted her gone, even if that meant he was going to the pokey.
Maybe, except as soon as police got there, the first thing he said was "she didn't jump." So, it seems to me like he just wanted her gone, even if that meant he was going to the pokey.
I agree.
The bottom line is if she wanted to kill herself most likely she had plenty of pills available due to her health issues.
Heck he could have given her pills and probably no one would have questioned it.
Her manner of death may have been quick, but horrible. Overdosing seems more likely if she truly wanted to commit suicide. The husband really does look disraught over it. I really don't think he wanted to do this, but like kaybee said, they may have both been at the end of their rope dealing with illness. Perhaps neither were thinking straight because of the emotional and financial toll.
Something else confuses me with this story....
The article said she got SSI ....
Or maybe they meant SS for disability... but in either case she would have been covered medically.
They seemed kind of young to be retired so I am assuming she had social security disability which would not pay one dime before covering health costs.
By this I mean that one may not get a check from them monthly but still be eligible for the medicaid coverage.
Your not getting that SSD check and not being covered by medicaid.
The article said she got SSI ....
Or maybe they meant SS for disability... but in either case she would have been covered medically.
They seemed kind of young to be retired so I am assuming she had social security disability which would not pay one dime before covering health costs.
By this I mean that one may not get a check from them monthly but still be eligible for the medicaid coverage.
Your not getting that SSD check and not being covered by medicaid.
bakerprune64
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Does anybody remember the Mercy Killing of Emily Gilbert by her husband Roswell? More of that story posted at this link. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1074767,00.html?promoid=googlep
Anyway, I think that in this case posted on this thread, that there was no doubt that health care was a major issue. Even with SSI and some medical benefits through that...their share of cost could have been the $700-$800 per week mentioned in the article. We don't know if the wife expressed a desire to be put out of her misery...she'd been quite ill for several years and weighed a mere 75 pounds!
Anyway, I think that in this case posted on this thread, that there was no doubt that health care was a major issue. Even with SSI and some medical benefits through that...their share of cost could have been the $700-$800 per week mentioned in the article. We don't know if the wife expressed a desire to be put out of her misery...she'd been quite ill for several years and weighed a mere 75 pounds!
MagicRose99
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IMO, I sure as heck can't see her asking to be thrown over the balcony... an overdose, maybe...
If you read the article posted on Steve's Crime blog about this (http://crimeblog.us/?p=528), you'll see her will to live in it...
bakerprune64
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Thanks for your post and the link. I still believe, that this man acted out of desperation. Part of me feels as if he also no longer wanted to see her suffer, not purely of financial concern.
I haven't read anything about this story that would cause me to agree. I'm sure he was desparate but she may not have been ready to die and he had no right to make that decision for her.
It's a shame because many of the drug companies will provide medications FREE to people who can't afford to buy them and don't have insurance.
MagicRose99
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Exactly! It wasn't his decision if she lived or died... it was hers. And I've seen nothing that suggests she was suicidal and that she'd chose being thrown over a balcony as a means to "end it all".
Sisters of dead woman wanted to keep her away from husband
Two sisters of Criste Reimer said Thursday that they had wanted to keep her away from her husband, who was charged this week with hurling her to her death.
Criste Reimer, who was found dead Tuesday night outside her Country Club Plaza apartment, lived with her mother outside the Kansas City area for several months until mid-July, when Stanley Reimer visited and said he was going to take her to dinner. He took her away and never came back, said her sisters, Vicki Jones and Terri Metrano.
I was scared to death, Jones said. I did not want him around her.
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/235445.html
Two sisters of Criste Reimer said Thursday that they had wanted to keep her away from her husband, who was charged this week with hurling her to her death.
Criste Reimer, who was found dead Tuesday night outside her Country Club Plaza apartment, lived with her mother outside the Kansas City area for several months until mid-July, when Stanley Reimer visited and said he was going to take her to dinner. He took her away and never came back, said her sisters, Vicki Jones and Terri Metrano.
I was scared to death, Jones said. I did not want him around her.
http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/235445.html
Filly
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I'm sorry I don't have the link right here, but in our local paper a co-worker said he worked at an Art Museum I believe and said they all had healthcare for their families. That's a sin. No matter what the case.