Kevorkian Ordered to Stand Trial Again

IONIA, Mich. — Dr. Jack Kevorkian and an ally who is terminally ill with cancer will stand trial together on assisted suicide charges in the death of a woman with multiple sclerosis, a judge said Wednesday.

The decision was a defeat for prosecutor Raymond Voet, who believes jurors might feel sympathy for the retired pathologist’s dying assistant, Janet Good, and that her presence could lead to an acquittal. She has pancreatic cancer.

Good, 73, and Kevorkian, 68, are charged with helping Loretta Peabody commit suicide on Aug. 30.

Peabody, 54, suffered from multiple sclerosis, but Voet believes she died from a heart-stopping injection of potassium chloride. The Ionia County woman’s body was cremated.

Authorities later seized a videotape on which she discussed suicide with Kevorkian, who has acknowledged taking part in 45 suicides since 1990. Good is not seen but her voice is heard, Voet said.