Prosecution of a South Greensburg woman on allegations that she bullied her former boyfriend to kill himself in 2021 can continue.
In a 20-page opinion, Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears said a series of demeaning messages sent by Mandie Rose Reusch provided sufficient evidence to allow a jury to consider a felony charge of assisting suicide.
Prosecutors say Reusch sent the messages over a period of about a month during which she encouraged him to take his own life.
As part of the same ruling, the judge dismissed one misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter, backing a defense argument that claimed prosecutors waited too long to file that charge as part of an amended criminal complaint. The manslaughter count was added against Reusch in August 2023, two months beyond the legal deadline to do so, the judge said.
Kevin Metzger, 37, of Hempfield died by hanging on June 18, 2021. Prosecutors say he killed himself after receiving what prosecutors said was a series of bullying text messages in which Reusch urged him to commit suicide in order to collect benefits for their child.
According to court records, police found a handwritten suicide note on Metzger’s bed in which he echoed Reusch’s messages that he kill himself.
“The evidence establishes … that defendant’s harassing communications sent to Metzger demanding he kill himself were on Metzger’s mind in the days leading up to his suicide. The court find that this evidence, along with the note Metzger left behind provides sufficient … evidence that it was defendant’s conduct that caused Metzger to commit suicide,” Mears wrote.
Defense attorney Phil DiLucente argued Reusch’s messages to Metzger were protected free speech. He said Tuesday the defense is prepared to argue the case to a jury.
“Any which way you look at this in America today, our client’s actions and statements she made a month earlier cannot be seen as anything other than free speech,” DiLucente said.
During a pretrial hearing in 2024, investigators said Reusch and Metzger exchanged dozens of messages during the month before his suicide. About 15 messages sent by Reusch were described by investigators as bullying, including several that specifically demanded that he kill himself.
Investigators testified that in May 2021, about seven weeks before Metzger killed himself, he went to the Irwin Police Department, appearing distraught. He reported what he claimed was harassing conduct by Reusch. Police said Metzger was initially hesitant to file charges against the mother of his child. A week later, after investigators instructed Reusch to stop her behavior, she was charged with one count of summary harassment.
The harassment case against Reusch was dropped after Metzger’s death.
Melanie Jones, spokeswoman for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli, in an emailed statement, acknowledged the judge’s ruling to dismiss one count against Reusch.
“It doesn’t impact the case moving forward; we will continue with the prosecution of the aiding suicide charge and we are prepared to take it trial,” Jones wrote.
Reusch remains free on $150,000 bond. No trial date has been scheduled.
