| | Who is he?
Dr Jack Kevorkian (aka "Dr. Death). Kevorkian is pro-euthanasia campaigner who assisted in many suicides of old or disabled people.
What did he do?
Aside from assisting in suicides, Kevorkian alledgedly administered lethal drugs to a Lou Gehrig's disease sufferer - Thomas Youk. Kevorkian videotaped himself giving the lethal injection, and the subsequent death of Thomas Youk. The videotape was then passed to the 60 Minutes TV show which nationally broadcast the tape on November 22 1998. Kevorkian maintains that he did this to prompt the justice department to take action against him. He had previously been tried four times on assisted suicide charges - three trials ended in an acquittal and one ended in a mistrial. Previously, he was also convicted of resisting arrest and obstructing justice when he scuffled with police officers who wanted to question him when he dropped one of his victims off at a hospital. He paid a $900 fine.
When?
September 17, 1998
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Charged?
Yep, but on what charges is unknown - possibly murder or assisted suicide.
Sentence?
On March 26 1999, Kevorkian was convicted of illegal delivery of a controlled substance and second degree murder for the death of Thomas Youk. Kevorkian acted as his own lawyer at the trial, and the prosecution's case consisted almost entirely of the videotape that Kevorkian had made. The sentence is unknown, but he was freed on a $750,000 bond until his sentencing on April 14. The maximum sentence for second-degree murder is life in prison; the drug-delivery charge could bring up to seven years.
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