Euthanasia advocate arrested in suicide pod case kills himself, cites trauma
'There was no foundation for the allegation,' Exit International said in a statement. Dr Willet had described the woman's death as 'peaceful, fast and dignified.'The Sarco pod's inventor, Dr Philip Nitschke, confirmed Willet's death and defended the pod's functionality. 'I was pleased that the Sarco had performed exactly as it had been designed to provide an elective, non-drug, peaceful death at the time of the person's choosing,' he said. He added that Swiss legal advice confirmed the device's use was within the law.advertisementAfter his release from detention in early December, Willet reportedly became a 'changed man.' According to Dr Nitschke, 'his spirit was broken,' and he 'seemed deeply traumatised by the experience of incarceration and the wrongful accusation of strangulation.'Willet sought psychiatric help in Zurich during Christmas but discharged himself before New Year's Eve. In January, he fell from the third floor of his Zurich apartment. Dr Nitschke said he 'did serious damage' and was later diagnosed with an acute polymorphic disorder triggered by the stress of pre-trial detention.The Last Resort said that the arrest had left Willet "broken." The group, affiliated with Exit International, was founded by Willet to support the use of the Sarco pod.With inputs from Sky News and BBC
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