Man throws dying wife off balcony because he cant afford medical treatment

[CptStern]

...wow these things only happen in third world countries where only the rich can afford healthcare right?

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) -- A man threw his seriously ill wife four stories to her death because he could no longer afford to pay for her medical care, prosecutors said in charging him with second-degree murder.

According to court documents filed Wednesday in Jackson County Circuit Court, Stanley Reimer walked his wife to the balcony of their apartment and kissed her before throwing her over.

The body of Criste Reimer, 47, was found Tuesday night outside the apartment building, near the upscale Country Club Plaza shopping district.

In the probable cause statement filed with the charges, police said Reimer was desperate because he could not pay the bills for his wife's treatment for neurological problems and uterine cancer.

...

Reimer's alleged motive emerged after several more hours of questioning, police said.

According to Jackson County Probate Court records, Criste Reimer had been in ill health for several years. Her weight had fallen to 75 pounds and she was partly blind.

According to the court records, she had no health insurance to pay for medical bills that ranged from $700 to $800 per week.

The Probate Court documents were filed in April, when Stanley Reimer petitioned to be allowed to sell personal property his wife owned in Wheeler County, Texas, for $20,000.

The documents listed her assets at approximately $6,700, with monthly income of $725 from oil royalties and Supplemental Security Income.

the war in iraq has cost americans $452 billion and counting yet 45 million americans are without proper healthcare ..somethings not right here

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/16/wife.killed.ap/index.html

 

[Gunner]

He should've used the "I'm scared of black people" excuse.

"Yeah officer, there were two black burglars in my apartment, I was scared they were gonna rape my wife!I threw out the window so she could escape."

I'm sure it would've worked.

But in all seriousness, yes it's ****ed up. But the defense budget keeps the lobbyists and weapons manufacturers happy so there's not much that can be done.

 

[Tyguy]

Pathetic....How much would Universal Health Care cost us at the most? Seems like if we are going to waste money, mind as well put it to something useful

 

[CptStern]

well it's not how much it'll cost you it's how much it'll cost insurance companies ..the current system guarentees they make money by the bucketful


btw with the money spent on destroying Iraq ...

"Instead, we could have insured 270,977,964 children for one year."

http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_content&Itemid=207&id=319&task=view

 

[DeusExMachina]

Wow this thread is ridiculous. You people are incredibly, truly incredible. I'm sorry for his woes, but the man threw his ****ing wife off a balcony. I'm all for euthanasia, but don't act like "Aw, that man should not be held accountable in any way shape or form." It's not the government's job to pay for everything. My family can barely afford medical treatment, but I'm not about to throw my grandpa off the roof of my house.

And don't even try to turn this around into me supporting the Iraq War. Yeah, that money could be used towards far better things. Helping people? Yeah sure. But America's not going to adopt universal health care anytime soon. Sorry that kills you so much.

 

[Tyguy]

Haha, no one here defended the guy. He is a pyscho and deserves to go to prison.

 

[CptStern]

Wow this thread is ridiculous. You people are incredibly, truly incredible. I'm sorry for his woes, but the man threw his ****ing wife off a balcony. I'm all for euthanasia, but don't act like "Aw, that man should not be held accountable in any way shape or form."

once again you blow something way out of proportion and overreact ..as Ty pointed out no one is justify the murder of the ailing wife ..even the her husband doesnt justify it when he told police "she didnt jump"

It's not the government's job to pay for everything. My family can barely afford medical treatment, but I'm not about to throw my grandpa off the roof of my house.

desperate times cause desperate measures, you cant possibly understand what they were going through, so dont try

And don't even try to turn this around into me supporting the Iraq War. Yeah, that money could be used towards far better things. Helping people? Yeah sure. But America's not going to adopt universal health care anytime soon. Sorry that kills you so much.

you have to ask yourself why they wont support universal healthcare ..I mean I've just proved that that money could insure millions of children every year ..isnt that a good enough reason? the majority of those underinsured are single parent families and children

 

[JNightshade]

Wow this thread is ridiculous. You people are incredibly, truly incredible. I'm sorry for his woes, but the man threw his ****ing wife off a balcony. I'm all for euthanasia, but don't act like "Aw, that man should not be held accountable in any way shape or form." It's not the government's job to pay for everything. My family can barely afford medical treatment, but I'm not about to throw my grandpa off the roof of my house.

And don't even try to turn this around into me supporting the Iraq War. Yeah, that money could be used towards far better things. Helping people? Yeah sure. But America's not going to adopt universal health care anytime soon. Sorry that kills you so much.

What he said. I actually like the idea of universal healthcare quite a lot, but blaming THIS on America's lack of a decent healthcare system is batshit f*cking loco. No matter your financial situation, you've gotta be pretty unstable to THROW YOUR WIFE OFF A F*CKING BALCONY.

 

[Gunner]

What he said. I actually like the idea of universal healthcare quite a lot, but blaming THIS on America's lack of a decent healthcare system is batshit f*cking loco. No matter your financial situation, you've gotta be pretty unstable to THROW YOUR WIFE OFF A F*CKING BALCONY.

You don't get it. Let's make the the example easier to understand:

A terminally ill person commits suicide because he/she can't afford healthcare.

Oh wait you'll just come back with: "well wtf he was going to die anyway so whatever."

 

[CptStern]

What he said. I actually like the idea of universal healthcare quite a lot, but blaming THIS on America's lack of a decent healthcare system is batshit f*cking loco. No matter your financial situation, you've gotta be pretty unstable to THROW YOUR WIFE OFF A F*CKING BALCONY.

really? I thought only sane people throw momma from the train ..err balcony

what dont you get here? what is it that you're not seeing? no one and I stress no one is blaming the death of the woman on the state of healthcare. Not having proper healthcare directly affected their lives. In the eyes of the husband and maybe in her eyes their inability to pay their healthcare costs directly led to her death ...whether in their minds they were justified or not is immaterial because the motivation is still inability to pay the costs. And like it or not the reality is that every single year thousands die due to poor to non existant healthcare coverage ..again 45 million americans are underinsured most are kids and single parents, that's a lot of people at risk of dying/suffering purely for economic reasons ..and it's not just the poor anymore it's the middle class as well:

Chris Koziel, 33, battled leukemia a few years ago. Not long after his cancer went away, so did his health insurance. His new job as an assistant manager at Snackville Junction in Evergreen Park doesn't come with health benefits. The divorced dad from Chicago said he can't afford the blood work and bone marrow tests needed to make sure the cancer hasn't returned. "For all I know, the leukemia is back," Koziel said. "And what if it does come back? How am I going to afford the medical bills?"

http://buseth.blogspot.com/2006/04/uninsured-cancer-survivors-pay-with.html

one in 4 americans have problems paying their medical bills

http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml

 

[lePobz]

She's gold diggin' with the angels now, sweetie.

 

[DeusExMachina]

desperate times cause desperate measures, you cant possibly understand what they were going through, so dont try

How about not acting like you know me? My dad gets unemployment. We can't afford any medical or insurance. Me and my dad and brother have to live with my grandparents we can't afford anything.

And don't you even tell me not to blow shit out of proportion. You do it all the ****ing time. Every single ****ing time. How's this for out of proportion? You're using this tragedy to further your own ideals.

 

[Qonfused]

I love the idea of Universal Health Care. There's no reason why we don't have it. And guys, don't get all uppity about Stern. You all should be well familiar with his "lol amerika" threads.

 

[Fliko]

...wow these things only happen in third world countries where only the rich can afford healthcare right?

the war in iraq has cost americans $452 billion and counting yet 45 million americans are without proper healthcare ..somethings not right here

btw with the money spent on destroying Iraq ...
"Instead, we could have insured 270,977,964 children for one year."
http://nationalpriorities.org/index....=319&task=view

you have to ask yourself why they wont support universal healthcare ..I mean I've just proved that that money could insure millions of children every year ..isnt that a good enough reason? the majority of those underinsured are single parent families and children

http://buseth.blogspot.com/2006/04/u...-pay-with.html
one in 4 americans have problems paying their medical bills
http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml

no one and I stress no one is blaming the death of the woman on the state of healthcare. Not having proper healthcare directly affected their lives. In the eyes of the husband and maybe in her eyes their inability to pay their healthcare costs directly led to her death

I'm sorry? I think I see a large contradiction. I mean, I understand where you're coming from Stern, Universal HealthCare would benefit us A LOT, but don't contradict yourself.
From the last quote I posted, does that not suggest that the "inability to pay their healthcare costs directly led to her death" not contradict "No one and I stress no one is blaming the death of the women on the state of healthcare"

desperate times cause desperate measures, you cant possibly understand what they were going through, so dont try

Dude? What the ****. You don't throw your ****ing wife off the balcony because she's dieing.
When my Stepdad was in the hospital dieing from cancer, my Mom had the choice to put him to sleep so he wouldn't feel the pain, or keep him awake until he dies. My Stepdad made it clear that he wanted to be awake. He wasn't in ANY way willing to die. Some reason I have the same feeling this lady wasn't willing to get thrown off a balcony.

 

[delusional]

the war in iraq has cost americans $452 billion and counting yet 45 million americans are without proper healthcare ..somethings not right here

I would rather not spend the money at all, because we are eventually going to have to pay for the Iraq war or health care as you say, which means a massive raise in taxes, and on top of that we are giving China more control over the American Economy.

 

[Adabiviak]

If we assume that this guy isn't at least somewhat criminally insane, and was driven to this solely by desperation, that's really sad.

 

[Planetary]

Doesn't really affect me, since I live in a country with different priorities (for now).

 

[Tyguy]

Why is everyone screaming like someone here condoned his actions? All that has been said is that health care had a role in his decision to toss his wife 4 stories. If health care was free, would he of killed her?

 

[Warbie]

He can't have been all there. I mean, can you ever get so desperate you throw someone off a balcony?

 

[CptStern]

Why is everyone screaming like someone here condoned his actions? All that has been said is that health care had a role in his decision to toss his wife 4 stories. If health care was free, would he of killed her?

what he said ..seriously people see what they want to see ...the reality of the matter was that the husband felt the situation was desperate enough to warrent desparate measures therefore his motivation was completely tempered by the fact they couldnt afford her healthcare ..for all we know he could have been doing her a favour saving her from a horrible painful death ..for all we know she could have agreed to it ...anyways does that mean I'm justifying murder? no ffs ..or blaming the healthcare as if Healthcare america threw her off the balcony? no ffs ..is healthcare directly related to this case: yes it was their motivating factor


..would any of you have objected had he given her a lethal injection instead? the outcome is exactly the same

 

[Warbie]

So's setting her on fire. The guy's a loony (I mean that in the nicest possible way) and the health care system sucks.

 

[CptStern]

stoning to death and lethal injection administered by a doctor ..both are different shades of barbaric punishment ..we're ok with one so long as it's not seen or heard but the outcome is the same ..but in both cases, neccesity and cultural norms dictate the type of death meted out ..however one is no less barbaric than the other relatively speaking ..what we see as normal others see as horrific ..what the husband did could have been in their eyes the most humane death ...or he could have been a looney and did it on the spur of the moment, we dont know

 

[Pulse]

Wow, talk about extreme euthanasia. Next time I can't afford bus fare I'm going to throw myself underneath it.

 

[CptStern]

why? are they going to kill you if you dont board that bus?

 

[Warbie]

extreme euthanasia

When extreme ironing isn't enough ...

 

[Tyguy]

Chinese children have nothing to do with this conversation.

Who gets it?

 

[CptStern]

lol, iron, ...although it was lead wasnt it?

 

[Tyguy]

Its odd how quickly he confesses the truth after they question him.

"Did you throw your wife off the balcony?"
"no"
"she couldn't of climbed up the railing"
"Im having money problems"