Nation IN BRIEF : MICHIGAN : Judge to Decide on Kevorkian Charges

A judge in Rochester Hills, Mich., scheduled a Feb. 28 decision on whether Dr. Jack Kevorkian will stand trial for two assisted suicides. District Judge James P. Sheehy will decide whether the 63-year-old retired pathologist should be charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder or manslaughter, or whether the charges should be dismissed completely. In Michigan, first-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. Manslaughter carries up to 15 years in prison. Kevorkian was indicted after two women killed themselves in a remote cabin Oct. 23 using suicide devices that he invented.