Richard Frase on the suicide nurse case

William Melchert-Dinkel
William Melchert-Dinkel, center, leaves the Rice County Courthouse with his attorney Terry Watkins, right, and wife, Joyce Melchert-Dinkel, after waiving his right to a jury trial Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011, in Faribault, Minn. Melchert-Dinkel, 48, of Faribault, faces two counts of aiding suicide, each carrying a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Prosecutors say he encouraged two people to take their lives, including 18-year-old Kajouji, of Brampton, Ontario, who jumped into a river in 2008; and 32-year-old Mark Drybrough, of Coventry, England, who hung himself in 2005.
AP Photo/Robb Long

The case of a Fairbault nurse charged with two counts of assisting suicides through internet communications is now in the hands of a Rice County judge.

William Melchert-Dinkel is accused of encouraging several people online to commit suicide. A man in England and a woman in Canada both killed themselves after communicating with Melchert-Dinkel online.

Melchert-Dinkel has waived his right to a jury trial and has accepted the evidence brought against him.

While a verdict is due within the next 20-days, the arguments around this case are expected to last much longer.

To talk about why, we've called Richard Frase, a professor of criminal law at the University of Minnesota.

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