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No jail for NY man who joined woman's suicide leap

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas
Published September 24, 2012 at 11:50 PM EDT

A man who admitted helping his girlfriend commit suicide — by jumping with her off the Tappan Zee Bridge — has been sentenced to probation. WAMC's Dave Lucas reports.

The Westchester County district attorney's office says 45-year-old Christopher Shears will be getting continued mental health treatment rather than jail time.

Shears jumped last year with 29-year-old Alfa Choice after stopping their car on the Hudson River bridge. Both were from Ithaca.

Choice, a former teacher at the Bronx High School of Science, died from her injuries. Shears was critically injured.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter under a provision for intending to aid a suicide.
© 2012 The Associated Press.
Hudson Valley News
Dave Lucas
Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
See stories by Dave Lucas