B.C. WOMAN CHARGED FOR TWO ASSISTED SUICIDES

DUNCAN, B.C., July 3, 2002 (LSN.ca) – Evelyn Marie Martens, 71, of Langford, B.C., appeared in Duncan provincial court Tuesday morning, charged in connection with two assisted suicides. On June 26, she helped Leyanne Burchell, 52, kill herself in Vancouver. Last Thursday she was charged for counselling and helping Monique Charest of Duncan, a former nun originally from Quebec, to end her life on Jan. 7.  At the end of the hearing, Judge Keith Bracken released Martens on $5,000 bail with a curfew and other conditions—including that she not be allowed use the Internet or possess plastic tubing, rope, helium tanks or “exit bags,” used to suffocate suicidal victims. She is described as a little old lady “with tightly-curled grey hair and gold wire-rimmed glasses,” but details went unreported due to a publication ban and she refused comment.  Martens enjoys the dubious honour of a DeathNet endorsement: “Due to the enterprising efforts of such Victoria members such as Evelyn Martens …in sharing the workload,” the site announces, DeathNET founder John Hofsess was “able to resume work on his book ‘Born Free But We Die in Chains: An Insider’s Report on the right-to-die movement in Canada’,” reports the Victoria Times Colonist.  For Globe and Mail coverage, including quotes from “supportive” local seniors, see: https://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/GIS.Servlets.HTMLTemplate?current_row=1&tf=tgam/common/FullStory.html&cf=tgam/common/FullStory.cfg&configFileLoc=tgam/config&vg=BigAdVariableGenerator&date=20020703&dateOffset=&hub=national&title=national&cache_key=national&start_row=1&num_rows=1   For Southam/Victoria Times Colonist coverage see:  https://www.canada.com/victoria/story.asp?id={8BA768AD-0C2C-42E1-8807-27062852B3F3}