COLORADO MAN CHARGED FOLLOWING WOMAN’S DEATH
When a person is diagnosed with cancer, they will have to make the difficult decision of how they want to treat the disease. Some people in Colorado may choose traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation. However, others might want to explore alternative cancer treatments. If that is the case, should those who administer alternative cancer treatments be held criminally liable if their patient dies?
A 61-year-old man is facing criminal charges following the death of a Colorado woman from cancer. The man was treating the woman for the disease prior to her death. He chose to administer alternative treatments, including ozone therapy and cesium therapy.
Per court documents, the man did give the woman’s caregivers a warning that cesium needed to be administered with other supplements, since it was a dangerous metal. The man himself intravenously administered ozone treatments to the woman and also gave the woman injections into what he believed to be cancerous tumors. He also fed her mainly broth, which according to court documents, he believed was necessary for those undergoing cesium therapy.
Unfortunately, the woman passed away in August. The man reportedly took all ozone-producing equipment and cesium away before the police arrived at the woman’s residence. The man was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter and has pled not guilty.
Cancer is a terrible disease, and many people will have to make hard decisions on what treatments they want. While some choose traditional therapies, others will turn to alternative medical treatment to try to put their cancer into remission. Unfortunately, sometimes a cancer patient will pass away, no matter what kind of treatment they received. However, if a patient agreed to alternative therapies and dies as a result, depending on the circumstances, the person administering the therapies could be criminally charged. Involuntary manslaughter is a serious charge that, if it leads to a conviction, could result in incarceration, among other penalties. Thus, it is important for anyone facing involuntary manslaughter charges to take all measures possible to develop a strong criminal defense strategy to counter the charges they face.