David Coughlin was excited to road trip across the U.S. from Massachusetts to California with his best friend, Raffi Kodikian. When the two of them arrive in New Mexico, they decide to camp for the night in Rattlesnake Canyon. After losing the trail, the two men are desperate for an escape. When they both become violently ill and dehydrated, they make an unthinkable and irreversible decision. 

Sources:

http://www.outdoorplaces.com/Features/story/mercykill.htm

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-death-in-the-desert-sentence/

https://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/20000511/news/305119963

https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/07/books/two-went-out-one-came-back.html

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-03-mn-18196-story.html