Boise man arrested for alleged 'assisted suicide' of friend

Brian Jones, 36, has been arrested after allegedly committing a so-called "assisted suicide" on a friend in a Boise hotel room.

Key Takeaways:

• Jones called police not long after midnight on November 20th, saying he had killed his friend.

• Police arrived at the hotel room and tried to save the man's life but were unable; Jones was then arrested.

• Jones has said his friend "wanted to go" and called his actions an "assisted suicide."

The Details:

According to a City of Boise press release, Brian Jones was arrested for first-degree murder after calling police, saying he had killed his friend. The victim was later identified as 40-year-old Abel Garcia Jr., though it is still not known if or why Garcia wanted to die.

Jones' charge is listed as murder “perpetrated by poison, torture, vengeance, extortion, or sadistic inclinations.” The coroner has not confirmed how Garcia died, but Jones told officers he held Garcia in a "neck restraint" for 10 minutes until he died, took a 30-minute shower, and then called the authorities. Tributes to Garcia have already begun to appear on his Facebook page, with no public posts indicating any suicidal ideation, and it appears he had at least one child.

Assisted suicide is currently illegal in Idaho.

Zoom Out:

The legalization of assisted suicide is increasing globally, and the (non-assisted) suicide rate has also been shown to increase in countries where assisted dying is made legal. Disturbingly, it is culturally framed as an empowering choice, particularly for those who are ill, elderly, disabled, or living in poverty. However, if a young and healthy person commits suicide, it is rightly seen not as a societal success, but as a tragedy.

Media outlets are also romanticizing supposed 'mercy killings' which are then labeled as assisted suicide. Like Jones, some people have murdered a spouse or parent, and then claimed they did so to end their loved one's suffering.

Yet in these cases, the perpetrator of the act often receives no consequences. Media outlets have framed such actions as "love stories" or as acts of love and mercy.

The Bottom Line:

Whether this was a so-called "assisted suicide" or outright murder, it is not acceptable to intentionally take another person's life.