Consensual homicide refers to a case when one person kills another, with the consent of the person being killed.

Assisted suicide

The most common form of consensual homicide is assisted suicide, most commonly as euthanasia, in which terminally ill people seek assistance from their doctors (or family members) to alleviate their suffering by ending their lives. This practice is legal in some jurisdictions, but remains controversial because of the legal, ethical and practical issues it raises.[1]

Exceptional cases

Suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams claimed that his patient Edith Alice Morrell—whose murder he was tried for in 1957—had wanted to die. He was controversially found not guilty but later suspected of murdering up to 163 of his patients.[2]

In 1996 a Maryland entrepreneur named Sharon Lopatka arranged for her own torture and strangulation over the Internet.[3] In 2001, Armin Meiwes, a citizen of Rotenburg, Germany, murdered and cannibalized Bernd Brandes, a willing victim who he had met via the internet.[4] These two cases attracted considerable media attention. Beyond their lurid sexual details, both cases became known for the unique legal challenges presented, including difficulties determining the parties, the fact that the victims had given consent to their own deaths, and the difference between consensual homicide and suicide.

In 2005, Japan, Hiroshi Maeue lured three people using the internet with promises to assist in their suicides, and strangled them. They may have consented to their killings at first, but the method was different from his promise of death by carbon monoxide poisoning. Maeue had previous convictions and his motivation was clearly sexual.[5] He was regarded as a serial killer and was sentenced to death.[6]

Other types

  • Seppuku, the traditional Japanese method of ritual suicide, in many cases works as consensual homicide. After the samurai slices into their stomach with a sword, their assistant, the kaishakunin, is tasked with immediately carrying out a mercy kill - typically by beheading - as without their presence, the process is extremely painful and drawn out. In effect, this turns the ritual from a suicide into an execution.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Betzold, Michel,"Appointment with Doctor Death" Troy, MI: Momentum Books 1996
  2. ↑ Cullen, Pamela V., "A Stranger in Blood: The Case Files on Dr John Bodkin Adams", London, Elliott & Thompson, 2006, ISBN 1-904027-19-9
  3. ↑ "A death on Usenet: Sharon Lopatka and the strange case of 'consensual murder'". The Daily Dot. July 3, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  4. ↑ "German cannibal tells of fantasy". December 3, 2003. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Suicide website murderer lived out his fantasies". Japan Today. August 24, 2005. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Man gets death for murdering suicidal trio". The Japan Times. March 29, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
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