William Francis Melchert-Dinkel

William Francis Melchert-Dinkel (born July 20, 1962) is an American former licensed practical nurse who was convicted in 2011 of convincing people online to commit suicide.

[12] William Francis Melchert-Dinkel allegedly met his victims in Internet suicide chat rooms, where he posed as a depressed woman in her 20s using aliases such as "Li Dao", "Cami D" or "falcongirl".

[14] Melchert-Dinkel was also convicted in relation to the suicide of 18-year-old Nadia Kajouji, who became depressed after leaving home to begin studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

[18][19][20][21][22][14][23] Kajouji had conversed online with someone posing as a young woman–now known to be Melchert-Dinkel–who suggested that she hang herself, gave her detailed instructions how to do it, and told her to capture her final moments with a webcam so (s)he and others could watch as part of a joint suicide pact.

[26][27][28] In November 2006, Celia Blay, a retired British schoolteacher living in Maiden Bradley, Wiltshire, received word from a teenaged friend in South America that she had entered a suicide pact with a young nurse.

She also discovered Melchert-Dinkel's "Falcongirl" and "Cami D" identities, and talked to users who entered other pacts in which he arranged to have attempted victims die in front of their webcams.

In January 2008—around the time Melchert-Dinkel was corresponding with Kajouji—Blay and a friend, Kat Lowe, set up a sting to catch "Cami D" in the act of attempting a suicide pact.

Lowe and Blay gained Melchert-Dinkel's trust and found information that traced him back to his IP address and residence in Minnesota.

However, the Saint Paul Police Department and the Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force agreed to take the case.

[6] He was found guilty of aiding a suicide under Minnesota law, which provides penalties for anyone who "intentionally advises, encourages, or assists another in taking the other's own life"; punishment can be up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $30,000.