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Man charged with assisted suicide in mom's death
Travis Bob Kirchner, 56, is accused of helping his mother, Patricia Janice Kirchner, asphyxiate herself in her garage on Sept. 17. Police initially arrested him on suspicion of murder, but prosecutors sought the lesser charge of assisted suicide.
"I know that the El Paso Police Department wanted him charged with murder, but I'm happy that the district attorney and the grand jury rejected that notion," said Dolph Quijano, Travis Kirchner's attorney.
Police had a fast reply.
"We're one cog in the criminal justice wheel, so we don't take it personally when a grand jury decides not to indict someone on the original charge," said Officer Chris Mears, a police spokesman.
Renee Railey, a spokeswoman for District Attorney Jaime Esparza, said aiding suicide is an uncommon charge in El Paso County. If convicted, Kirchner would face a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. A murder conviction could have carried a life sentence.
Asked why the grand jury failed to return a murder indictment, Railey said, "The grand jury heard all the evidence we had on this case. This is what they indicted him on."
Travis and Patricia Kirchner lived in separate homes on the Poki Roni Ranch, which offered pony rides, riding lessons and a menagerie.
Police found
Patricia Kirchner's body in a car parked in the garage of her home in the 8400 block of Bowers. According to Travis Kirchner's indictment, handed up Monday, she died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
An arrest affidavit stated that Travis Kirchner told police he and his mother agreed to commit suicide at her home by sitting in an idling car in a sealed garage.
Travis Kirchner told police that he gave his mother two sleeping pills to relax her. After she fell asleep while watching television, Kirchner dragged her by her armpits to the garage, put her inside the car and turned it on, the police affidavit stated.
"This is really a very simple thing - two sad older people wanting to check out," Kirchner said after his arrest.
A friend posted $20,000 bond for Kirchner, enabling him to get out of jail.
Patricia Kirchner was a businesswoman who turned farmland into a ranch and public attraction.
Her parents bought about 30 acres on Bowers Road in 1920 to grow peaches and corn. She took over in the 1970s after her parents died, converted the land into a horse ranch and began hosting parties, pony rides and riding lessons.
The Poki Roni Ranch closed Sept. 11 after District Judge Guadalupe Rivera ruled that the Kirchners could not use Bowers Road for commercial purposes. The decision came in a civil lawsuit filed by Patricia Kirchner's brother-in-law and sister, two of her neighbors, court records show.
Friends of Patricia Kirchner suggested that the ruling might have sent her and Travis Kirchner into a deep depression.
Kirchner's criminal case has been assigned to the 41st District Court, where District Judge Mary Anne Bramblett presides. His arraignment has yet to be scheduled.
Adriana M. Chávez may be reached at achavez@...; 546-6117.
To donate to the work of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition by paypal go to www.euthanasiaprevention.on.ca
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