Editor’s note: This article has been updated to state the relationship between Kim Roller and David Norton.
A Boulder County grand jury has indicted two people on charges of manslaughter, accusing them of helping a 91-year-old woman kill herself with nitrogen gas at Louisville’s The Lodge at Balfour in February 2024.
Kim Roller, 70, and David Norton, 68, were indicted Thursday and charged with manslaughter by aiding suicide, according to a . Kim Roller, the woman’s daughter, and Norton, the woman’s son-in-law, are accused of buying nitrogen gas and the accessories needed to help Kim Roller’s mother, Mildred “Milsy” Roller, kill herself.
Norton and Kim Roller each remain in custody at the Boulder County Jail on $5,000 bail, according to online court records.
After Balfour staff found Mildred with a clear bag over her head and a plastic tube running to a nitrogen gas tank, Louisville police investigated what was then reported as an unattended death on Feb. 18, 2024, according to .
Police found that Kim Roller bought a 20-pound tank of industrial nitrogen gas in Dacono, and that Norton bought a gas flow regulator from Amazon, the DA’s office release states. Norton reportedly installed the regulator to the tank before Kim Roller and her sister attended Mildred’s suicide, the release states.
Under the , terminally ill Coloradans can request medication for the purpose of ending their life on their terms. Under the 2016 law, specific requirements must be met, followed by a mandated process, the release states. The medical aid in dying law requires that a patient have two physicians sign off on an assisted suicide, after determining the person is terminally ill, has less than six months to live and is mentally capable of making such a decision, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment.
As many as in Colorado in 2024. In 2017, the first year the law was in effect, that number was 50, according to the public health and environment department.
The law also aims to prevent terminally ill patients from making decisions based on outside influence, by including a medical professional and a witness, the release states.
Kim Roller and Norton did not follow the legal framework for assisted suicide in Colorado, the release states.
Itap not clear whether any charges will be filed against Kim Roller’s sister.
“Our office understands and supports the right of Coloradans to avail themselves of medical aid in dying, as prescribed under law,” Boulder County DA Michael Dougherty said in the release. “The law provides requirements and safeguards that were not followed here.”
Kim Roller and Norton were among the beneficiaries of Mildred’s belongings, including $655,540 in savings, according to the release.
Kim Roller and Norton reportedly used the , a national organization promoting the right to die for the terminally ill, to learn about using nitrogen to help Mildred kill herself, according to the DA’s office.
The Final Exit Network agreed to make some changes to its publicly offered materials as a result of Louisville’s investigation, according to the release.
Among the changes are improving awareness of Colorado’s state law for assisted suicides, cautioning workshop attendees about possible prosecution if they don’t follow state law, stopping nitrogen-assisted suicide demonstrations and revising its document-retention policy to make sure the organization retains its paperwork for a full year after an assisted suicide, the release states.
Anyone experiencing a mental health crisis can call or text 988, 24/7, to reach the , which is free and confidential.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
