A state Appellate Court ruled Thursday that the wife and daughter of a Clark County man can inherit part of his estate, even if they helped him commit suicide.
The case revolved around the death of Edward Schunk of Stanley, who died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound in 2006. Schunk was suffering from non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma when his wife and teenage daughter drove him to a cabin in the woods, where he killed himself. Schunk's other children contested the will, which left much of his estate to the wife and daughter, on the grounds that state law prevented them from benefiting from his death.
The court agreed with a Circuit Court decision, which stated that the killing was not intentional, so they could still inherit part of the estate.
Susan Armacost of Wisconsin Right to Life says the decision creates a loophole in state law that raises serious questions about assisted suicide. Armacost says allowing someone to benefit from helping a person kill themselves could lead to an ominous situation for the state.
Armacost says WRTL will fight to close the loophole made clear by the case.
