Appeals Court Hands Kevorkian a Defeat

Prosecutors may use Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s so-called suicide machine and the deaths of three people as evidence when the assisted-suicide advocate goes on trial next week, the state appeals court has ruled. In a 2-1 ruling, the appeals court overturned a lower judge’s decision that said such evidence would be unfair. The court said the “highly relevant” evidence “outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice” and follows state Supreme Court precedent. Kevorkian, 69, is charged with assisting the suicide of Loretta Peabody and practicing medicine without a license. The cornerstone of the case is a videotape of the 54-year-old woman consulting with him hours before her death on Aug. 30.