Kevorkian Tape May Not Be Smoking Gun

A videotape showing Dr. Jack Kevorkian giving a man a lethal drug dose might not be enough to convict him of assisted suicide, a prosecutor said. CBS plans to air portions of a tape Kevorkian gave the network showing a man’s death from an injection administered by the retired pathologist. Kevorkian told “60 Minutes” that Thomas Youk, who suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease, died Sept. 17 at Youk’s suburban Detroit home. A Michigan law that took effect Sept. 1 makes assisted suicide a felony punishable by five years in prison. But Oakland County prosecutor David Gorcyca said he won’t rush to bring charges even if the tape clearly shows Kevorkian injecting Youk. “In every case, you have to look at the issue of consent,” Gorcyca said. “Mr. Youk may have verbally consented to that. That’s a factor which will certainly go into a charging decision.”