June Hartley

June Hartley (born 1967) is a California woman who faced charges for assisting in the suicide of her brother, Jimmy, after he suffered a series of strokes.

Death and criminal charges

Jimmy Hartley, a blues musician and lead singer for the Studebaker Blues Band, was found dead in his family's home in Lodi, California on December 8, 2008. A helium tank and a copy of an instructional book by Derek Humphry, the chairman of Final Exit Network, were found near his body. He had previously been left paralyzed and lost his speech and hearing after a series of strokes in 2006. Over the next two years, he had repeatedly asked police and others to help him die. She pleaded not guilty and was freed on bail on February 28, 2009. She later changed her plea to guilty on a lesser charge and received a sentence of probation and community service without jail time.

Opinion and reaction

The case generated a response from both supporters and critics of assisted suicide. Brian Johnston, executive director of the California Pro-Life Council, stated that Hartley's case underscored the need for laws to keep "emotionally vulnerable people" from "taking lethal action" into their own hands.