A woman in Pennsylvania reportedly pushed her boyfriend to suicide by bombarding him with abusive texts and footage of her having sex with another man, prosecutors stated this week.
Mandie Reusch, 35, was charged when Kevin Metzger died by suicide after receiving "heinous and graphic" messages from her, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office detailed.
Before he took his own life, 37-year-old Metzger wrote a suicide letter and posted it on Facebook, which detailed the onslaught of abusive messages he had been receiving from his ex-partner.
"Mr. Metzger may still be here today if those messages did not influence and encourage him to take his own life," District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said in a statement.
The couple had shared a daughter, with Reusch repeatedly threatening to keep the child from him, according to court documents obtained by Pennlive.com. She had told him via messaging app WhatsApp that she and the child would be moving in with her new partner, before warning Metzger that he would never see his daughter again.
Reusch allegedly sent Metzger multiple texts encouraging him to take his own life, adding: "[The daughter] would be better off not even knowing you." Not only this, but Reusch went one step further and explained to him her plans to have sex with her boyfriend on Mother's Day "while your daughter calls him daddy," the news outlet further detailed.
On another occasion, Reusch sent a clip of herself having sex with another man after Metzger had sent her $200, with Reusch arguing that the amount wasn't enough. The messages had been sent while Metzger was away completing military training while Reusch and their daughter remained at home.
Ziccarelli stated that her office "will not allow or tolerate this kind of egregious behavior," while expressing her deepest condolences to the Metzger family. "The level of bullying, harassment, and threats rose to a criminal level in this particular case and we will prosecute it to the fullest extent of the law," she declared.
Reusch has since been charged on multiple counts, including aiding suicide, which is a felony, and harassment (a misdemeanor). She was arraigned earlier this week on Tuesday (June 13) and is currently being held on bail. Her next court appearance is June 27.
On the day he took his own life, Metzger told his ex-partner that he would be posting her abusive messages online after she told him he wouldn't be seeing his daughter for Father's Day. He then sent a friend hundreds of Reusch's messages, telling her to ensure "this gets known to the world".
Metzger was in the army and had served there for 20 years, per his obituary, and had been honorably discharged before re-enlisting in the Army Reserves. He had been described as a caring father whose daughter was "an extreme light in his life."
His obituary adds that: "He enjoyed a good time but was always there for his friends in tough times. He was a selfless and dedicated friend. Above all though, he passionately cared for his daughter."
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please reach out for help and contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
