Doctor Acquitted on Charges He Killed Terminally Ill Wife

A doctor charged with killing his terminally ill wife with a drug overdose after she unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide was cleared of all charges Thursday in a case sparked by a TV interview.

Dr. Peter Rosier, who said he wanted to end his wife’s suffering from cancer, was found not guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder and conspiracy.

The state charged that Rosier obtained Seconal sedatives for his wife to commit suicide, administered morphine when the Seconal only left her comatose, and eventually manipulated her stepfather and brothers into finishing the job by smothering her.

Wept at Verdict

Rosier, a Ft. Myers pathologist who faced up to life in prison, jumped to his feet and wept when the verdict was read.

The charges were brought after Rosier appeared on a television interview and described administering the drug overdoses to his wife, Patricia, who was 43 when she died Jan. 15, 1986. Prosecutors contended he hoped to profit from her death with a book about it.

The Pinellas County Circuit Court jury deliberated slightly more than three hours after hearing four weeks of testimony.

The prosecution charged that Rosier, 47, pained by his wife’s fast-spreading cancer, obtained 20 Seconals for her to take and administered morphine injections and suppositories when she did not die from the sedatives.

‘Enough’s Enough’

After she lingered for 12 hours in a comatose state, her stepfather, Vincent Delman, testified that he decided “enough’s enough,” went into her bedroom and smothered her while his two sons watched.

Delman and his sons, Russell and Farrell, received immunity from prosecution in return for their testimony before prosecutors knew of their role in her death. Prosecutors said they had no choice but to give them immunity because the body was cremated and there were no other witnesses.

The defense portrayed Rosier as a loving husband of 22 years who wanted to help his wife fulfill her wish of avoiding a painful end. Neither side disputed that Patricia Rosier wanted to commit suicide when she learned cancer had spread from her lungs to her brain and adrenal glands.