Mark Switzer, 73, was sentenced to four years in jail on May 9 after pleading guilty to manslaughter — aiding suicide. The sentencing occurred last Friday, but the victim, Nathan Combs, was found dead on May 18, 2017. The initial investigation determined Combs died from a semi-truck accident because he was found next to a truck in Hereford, Colorado.
Combs increased his life insurance policy in the months before his death while he arranged for Switzer to assist him in ending his own life. Switzer had previously been arrested for child exploitation charges in Wyoming and was concerned about going back to jail. He told Combs, "I know what they do to people like that,” referring to sex offenders who go to jail.
Colorado is one of 10 states that have Medical Aid In Dying (MAID) provisions that were passed into law under Proposition 106, also known as the Colorado End-of-Life Options Act. The law, passed in 2016, only allows individuals with a terminal illness to qualify for the program with a prognosis that the individual only has six months to live or less. Combs was not reported to have any terminal illness at the time of his death, so he would not have qualified for the program.
“This was not a momentary lapse in judgement or a mistake,” Deputy District Attorney Katherine Fitzgerald said during Friday’s sentencing hearing. “This was a calculated plan and a deliberate action. Regardless of whether the victim asked him to assist in his death, this defendant still killed Nathan Combs and this type of behavior won’t be tolerated in our community.”
Switzer was arrested for the crime in 2023. Investigators uncovered details from Combs’ wife regarding Switzer’s admission that he had shot her husband. Authorities found a .22 caliber rifle from Swtizer’s truck during the investigation after they obtained a search warrant.
