BOULDER, Colo. — A Colorado woman pleaded guilty Friday to felony manslaughter and tampering with evidence for helping her 91-year-old mother end her life, a case prosecutors say crossed the line and violated the state's medical aid in dying law.
Kim Roller accepted a plea deal with no jail time for her role in the death of her mother, Mildred "Milsy" Roller. Under the plea agreement, Kim Roller will serve two years of unsupervised probation, pay $25,000 to a medical aid in dying charity, and complete 80 hours of community service.
▶️ WATCH: Denver7's Jennifer Kovaleski reports on the plea deal
"This is a serious, tragic case where an elderly woman died who did not have to die. The defendant helped her mother procure the equipment and know-how to take her own life without exploring any alternatives, including Medical Aid in Dying," Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement.
Milsy Roller died more than two years ago at The Lodge at Balfour, an independent living facility in Louisville. Officers found her inside her room with a bag over her head connected by a tube to a nitrogen gas bottle, according to the indictment. Beside her was a suicide note with the date changed from Feb. 5 to Feb. 18, 2024.
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Dougherty said the case marks the first time Colorado's medical aid in dying law is at the center of a criminal prosecution.
“This plea balances both the seriousness of the case and the defendant’s otherwise law-abiding life. It is a difficult case, but the outcome is justice,” Dougherty said in the statement.
Colorado voters approved a right-to-die law in 2016. The law requires a patient to be terminally ill with less than six months to live. It also requires a medical provider to prescribe the medication and at least one witness who does not stand to benefit financially.
Prosecutors emphasized Milsy Roller was not terminally ill and appeared in good health for her age. Court records show her family stood to inherit more than $650,000 and a doctor was not involved in her death.
"And when the law is not followed, we have individuals who should be held accountable for violating the law," Dougherty said in a previous interview with Denver7 Investigates.
The indictment details text messages, purchases, and planning prosecutors said crossed the line from the right to die into felony manslaughter. According to court records, texts included statements like, "We need to talk about whether mom needs a will," and "She needs to write a suicide note and she really couldn’t today."
Court records say Kim Roller bought a nitrogen tank three days before Milsy Roller died. Kim Roller's brother-in-law, David Norton, ordered a pressure flow regulator from Amazon and helped Milsy Roller install it, according to the indictment.
A Boulder grand jury indicted Kim Roller and Norton on felony manslaughter charges earlier this year. Norton's case is still pending, and he was not in the courtroom Friday.
During Friday's hearing, Kim Roller's defense attorney called it a heartbreaking choice, saying Milsy was suffering daily, feared dementia, and asked her daughter for help.
"She honored Milsy's wishes and now she's paying the price," her attorney said in court.
The judge acknowledged she might have made the same decision if she was in the same place.
Neighbors who lived in Milsy Roller's independent living facility also attended Friday’s hearing. They told Denver7 Investigates they were happy with the outcome and saw how much Milsy was suffering. Kim Roller declined to comment after the hearing.
An attorney for Norton previously said the actions were about honoring Milsy Roller's wishes, not money, and that she was of sound mind.
