By Marlene Lenthang -
NBC News
An 85-year-old former Arizona doctor was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter after being accused of helping a person die by assisted suicide at a New York motel in November, local authorities said.
Stephen P. Miller, of Tucson, Arizona, was arraigned Friday and
pleaded not guilty to charges of
second-degree murder and first- and second-degree assault, according to court records.
The investigation began before noon on Nov. 9, when police responded to a report of an unconscious person at a Super 8 motel on Washington Avenue in the city of Kingston, about 100 miles north of New York. Kingston police said in a statement on Friday.
The Super 8 motel, in Kingston, New York.Google Maps
First responders found a person who initially appeared to have died by suicide alone in the motel room.
Subsequent investigations, however, revealed the presence of a second person who "contributed or assisted the suicide," according to the police statement.
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An investigation by police and the Ulster County District Attorney's Office led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for Miller for second-degree murder, under the state's criminal code relating to a person who "
causes or intentionally assists another person"
to die by suicide.
Authorities did not identify the deceased person, but said Miller was not linked to her.
Jeffrey Lichtman, Miller's attorney, has not yet responded to a request for comment from NBC News.
Lichtman told The New York Times that it was a woman who died in the motel room that night and that he had contacted Miller through an organization that advocates for the legalization of medical aid in dying.
He explained that Miller traveled to New York from Arizona to witness the death of the woman, who was suffering from severe chronic pain.
She said her client had provided similar services before.
"This was done with care, compassion and with a lot of research and thought," Lichtman added.
Speaking to The Times Herald-Record of Middletown, the lawyer said: "Giving advice for someone to end their life does not have to be against the law."
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Miller serves on the advisory board of Choice and Dignity, an Arizona-based nonprofit group that believes "everyone has the right to have their individual end-of-life plans respected and honored," according to its page Web.
Medical assistance in dying has long been controversial.
It's legal in 10 states (including California and New Jersey) and Washington, DC, according to Death with Dignity.
Miller was taken to the Ulster County Jail.
Records show he was released on bail the same day.
Miller is a former family physician who graduated from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Sciences in Chicago in 1964. In 1994, he obtained a license to practice in Arizona, which expired in 2005, according to Arizona Medical Board records.
He was also issued a medical license in California in 1969, which was revoked in 2009, according to board records, which state that Miller
was convicted of tax evasion in Texas
in 2006. In that case, he was sentenced to just under four years in prison and three years of supervised release.
Miller is due back in court on March 14.
If you or someone you know may be at risk,
call
or text
the Suicide Prevention Lifeline
number
988 , which offers free, confidential,
Spanish -language support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.