Yellow Springs man sentenced to probation in assisted suicide case

Nov. 26 – A Yellow Springs man who pleaded guilty to one count of assisted suicide was sentenced to five years probation.

In April, Thomas Macaulay was charged with two counts of assisted suicide in the death of his wife, 75-year-old Ardis Macaulay. He pleaded guilty to one of the charges in September.

Macaulay will also pay the court $1,200 as part of his probation fee.

Defense attorney Jon Paul Rion previously told the Dayton Daily News that the outcome of the court case is expected to have “minimal impact” on his client’s life, adding that Macaulay “has undoubtedly been through a lot.”

“This couple has been together for many, many, many years,” Rion said. “They were both educated and both gave so much to our community. These are two wonderful people who gave their all in this life.”

On March 28, at approximately 3:20 a.m., Yellow Springs Police responded to Aspen Court after Macaulay reported that his wife had died by nitrogen-induced suicide. The call log shows that she decided to end her life.

Macaulay, a retired sculpture professor at Wright State University, told officers he was with his wife. He testified that he did not participate in the suicide, but according to the police report, they planned it.

The report states that inside the home, officers found a suicide note on the table next to his wife’s chair and instructions on how to commit suicide by nitrogen poisoning.

Her obituary states that Ardis Macaulay retired as an art teacher at Mechanicsburg High School and previously taught art at Bethel and Tecumseh high schools.

State law states that assisted suicide is “the provision of a physical means by which another person commits or attempts to commit suicide” or; “participating in a physical act that causes another person to commit or attempt to commit suicide.”

Dayton Right to Life told Cincinnati Right to Life that this was the first case of assisted suicide in Ohio and that the Macaulay family lived in a senior living community. The organization’s chapters celebrated Macaulay’s indictment earlier this year, saying they were “proud of the research, work and support that went into creating this legislation,” which went into effect in 2017.