The debate of whether mercy killing can be used as a defence in a murder case is once again in the spotlight after a domestic homicide in Ottawa.

Richard Rutherford, a former principal dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and officer with the Canada Council for the Arts, was found dead in his home Easter weekend. His longtime spouse Phillipe Hebert has been charged in his death.

Ottawa Citizen reporter Andrew Duffy joins Dave Breakenridge to discuss events that led up to Rutherford’s death, why the couple’s friends think it was an act of mercy, and how such acts are viewed by the Canadian legal system.

Background reading: The 'tragic and profoundly human' story of Richard Rutherford and Philippe Hébert

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