I'm not sure what's worse:

[ambitious_wench]

The obvious broken state of health care in America that lead to this, or the obvious misogynist attitude of "putting down a sick animal" in this story. In short, he couldn't afford to pay her medical bills, and so he threw her off a balcony. She died, of course.



Man charged with throwing wife off balcony to her death

August 16, 2007

By JOYCE TSAI

KANSAS CITY STAR

A husband, financially desperate because of his wife’s medical problems, walked her to the balcony of their fourth-floor Kansas City apartment, kissed her, then threw her to her death, according to court documents filed Wednesday.

Stanley Reimer, 51, was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder for allegedly killing Criste Reimer, 47. Her body was found Tuesday night on the pavement outside the Plaza Point Apartments, 4901 Wornall Road.


Reimer was being held Wednesday night in the Jackson County jail on a $250,000 cash bond.
Efforts to reach Reimer’s attorney were unsuccessful Wednesday night.

In court records filed with the charges, police say Reimer killed his wife because he no longer could afford the avalanche of medical bills from the treatment of her uterine cancer and neurological problems.

When police first questioned Reimer, who was in the apartment when they arrived, he told them “something bad” had happened to his wife, according to the probable-cause statement filed with the charges.

“She didn’t jump,” he said, but didn’t reveal much more.

Detectives said they were suspicious about how Criste Reimer died because her caregiver told them she had numerous health issues and could barely walk. She would have been “physically unable to climb over the railing of the balcony,” the caregiver said, according to the probable-cause statement.

Several hours later, after more questioning, police said they determined Reimer threw his wife from the balcony because he could no longer take care of her medical needs, according to documents.

Criste Reimer had battled numerous medical problems for several years, a fight that drained her physically, according to Jackson County Probate Court records.

Her weight had dropped to 75 pounds, she was partly blind, and she had an extensive history of traumatic brain injury, knee surgeries, neurological disease, hypothyroidism and hydrocephalus. She was also on a host of medications.

When she was admitted to the hospital in April 2006 after repeated falls, her doctors said she had been falling repeatedly over a three-week period, and they noted a “failure to thrive.”

Her medical bills ranged from $700 to $800 a week, and she had no health insurance, according to Probate Court records.

In April, her husband petitioned the court to allow him to sell property she owned in Wheeler County, Texas.

The probate petition sought to sell the Texas property, along with royalty rights, existing wells and other equipment for $20,000 because “there are not sufficient cash funds in the estate to continue payment for the treatment and medication.”

An inventory of her assets at that time showed she had $200 in her checking account, household goods and furnishings valued at $500, an individual retirement account of $4,000, and real property valued at $2,000.

It also showed she was receiving $325 a month in Supplemental Security Income and $400 a month in royalties from the Kaiser-Francis Oil Co.


Find this article at:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070816/NEWS07/70816059/1118/rss

Comments

[lederhosen.livejournal.com]

the obvious misogynist attitude

I wouldn't be assuming that. What he did was certainly wrong, but misogyny's not the only possible explanation; it's awful watching somebody you love dying slowly and painfully, and it can get to the point where ending their suffering starts looking like the loving thing to do - particularly for somebody under all sorts of stress who isn't thinking clearly.

[frou-frou.livejournal.com]

Absolutely, but if her suffering was primary in his mind, I'm sure he could have found a more humane way to kill her. What shocks me is the way he threw her down there and just left her body to be found by strangers....how hard would it have been to have found a kinder way? And what if she hadn't died from the fall, she would have been lying there in pain...

I agree that it's not necessarily misogynistic though. You would have to be pretty desperate to consider such a course of action. Yay for having a better health system in Australia.

[scascot.livejournal.com]

A more humane way to kill her? What should he have done instead? Strangled her? Smothered her with a pillow? Bathtub full of water, and toss in the toaster? Hit her on the head with a frozen leg of lamb? Rat poison in her orange juice? Douse her in gasoline, and set her on fire? Concrete shoes and a visit to the river?

There is no "more humane" way to kill someone. This poor man did the only thing he felt comfortable with doing that he was sure would do the job.

And I absolutely disagree with ambitious_wench's interpretation and accusation of mysogyny, and her indictment of the US healthcare system (but that's an old argument between us).

[ambitious-wench.livejournal.com]

Rich, did I ever tell you that my grandmother sat me down when I was in my teens and asked me to make sure she didn't suffer? She told me to leave a bottle sleeping pills and a glass of water by the bed. We discussed when it would be appropriate to do this. Frankly, I was too young to really be responsible enough to carry out her wishes at the time. When she did die, I was too far away to judge if it was the right time. I had put her in a nursing home, which she never wanted, but was the only option because her son, my uncle refused to help care for her. I was in the Navy, married to an abusive drug addict, with a small child. My mother wasn't able to take care of her, either, they'd had a major falling out, and mother was dealing with a recent leg amputation. I couldn't put the bottle of pills by her bed. I couldn't even feed them to her one at a time and hold her in my arms as she died.

I wasn't able to do that for her, and to this day I feel like I let her down.

There are indeed better ways of dieing than being thrown off a balcony. I don't think he had the courage to do them. It would have meant witnessing her death, instead of just causing it. At the risk of being very sexist here, I'm not sure it's a job for men. The Crone not only acts as midwife, She also opens the door out. Men cause, but rarely witness either entrance or exit.

If you dare, talk to The Morigan about easing passage. She will tell you.

[scascot.livejournal.com]

Edie, I think the best response I can give right now is no response.

I talk to Mòr Rìghan often - there is no dare there. And no mystery.

[ambitious-wench.livejournal.com]

I think I agree with you, my friend. I'm trying very hard to unravel some rather complicated knots in my thinking about death and gender. I may well have been too hasty to see misogeny in that husband's actions.

You know how I feel about The Morigan. She hasn't been very kind to me, and that's why I have a rather bad view of her. I'm begining to wonder if it isn't tied to my broken promise to my grandmother.

On a related note, am I one of the few people in the world who thinks Mother Theresa was an opportunistic sadist?

[lederhosen.livejournal.com]

I'm sure he could have found a more humane way to kill her.

People in a distressed state often pick bad options for reasons other than selfishness; falling from a height is ugly and it's not how I'd prefer to go, but it's pretty good compared to things like ODing on Panadol, which would-be suicides do regularly. Or strangulation, or drowning, brrr.

[frou-frou.livejournal.com]

good point. I doubt he was thinking straight after all he'd gone through...but still, leaving her there for someone else to find....I hope she died quickly.

[ambitious-wench.livejournal.com]

Actually, Art's comment got me wondering about the misogyny I'd perceived. I dunno, but I would not want to the broken body of my spouse, not after years of seeing her in pain. But yeah, I really hope she died fast.

I also wonder if she hadn't participated in her own death by consenting to euthenasia before it got this bad.

Still, misogyny aside (not 100% convinced against it), healthcare for profit is just plain wrong IMO.

These folks were sucked dry financially, and nothing but a broken body to show for it at the end.