HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Honolulu Police Department is investigating the death of an 88-year-old woman as a murder after an incident involving the state’s “Our Care, Our Choice Act” (OCOCA), which allows qualified patients to request lethal medication for assisted dying.
The woman, who had been receiving assistance under the OCOCA program, was found dead at her home on Oct. 9, at 5:34 p.m.
Authorities said she did not self-administer the prescribed lethal medication, as required by the law.
Instead her attending physician allegedly assisted her in taking the medication, despite the woman signaling for him to stop at one point.
An autopsy confirmed the cause of death was homicide.
Police said the woman choked after the medication was administered, leading to her death.
This marks the first homicide investigation tied to the OCOCA.
Investigators executed a search warrant at the attending physicians residence as part of the ongoing probe.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is still ongoing.