Woman’s 'Heinous And Graphic' Messages Drove Ex To Suicide: Prosecutor

A Pennsylvania woman has been charged with aiding her ex-boyfriend’s suicide with a stream of what the district attorney called “heinous and graphic” messages encouraging him to kill himself.

Mandie Reusch, 35, was arrested Tuesday in Westmoreland County on charges of aiding suicide and harassment, and was released on $150,000 bail. She tormented her ex-boyfriend Kevin Metzger, 37, with weeks of “continuing and unrelenting” dark messages that pushed him to take his own life on June 18, 2021, District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said.

“Mr. Metzger may still be here today if those messages did not influence and encourage him to take his own life,” Ziccarelli said in a statement.

Reusch began harassing Metzger through WhatsApp in May 2021 while he was away at military training and she was home with their daughter, according to a Pennsylvania State Police affidavit obtained by HuffPost. She told Metzger that he would never see his daughter again and that another man was moving into their home and would raise their child instead, according to the affidavit.

“I hope” for the child’s “sake that you do kill yourself,” Reusch allegedly wrote. “She would be better off not even knowing you.”

Reusch continued the bombardment, often telling him in graphic terms about sleeping with another man. Some of the messages included references to Metzger’s photos of his dog that had died previously.

After Metzger sent her $200, she replied: “I cashed the $200 check then inflicted 10k of damage. Then I’ll go file Monday to get $600 a month,” according to the affidavit. “Go kill yourself and be with your dog.”

An attorney representing Reusch did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. She is scheduled to appear in court on June 27.

Metzger reported the messages to police in Irwin, who charged Reusch with harassment. The charge was dropped after his death, according to the affidavit.

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Irwin police did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.

Reusch’s messages repeatedly told Metzger he couldn’t see their daughter on Father’s Day, according to the affidavit. Two days before the holiday, a friend asked police to conduct a welfare check on him.

“It’s bad, its really bad right now,” Metzger wrote to the friend earlier, police said. ”This gets known to the world.”

Officers found Metzger dead when they arrived at his home, according to the prosecutor.

“The level of bullying, harassment and threats rose to a criminal level,” the DA said. She offered condolences to Metzger’s family and pointed out: “Suicide is never the solution.”

Metzger served in the U.S. Army for almost 20 years and reenlisted in the Army Reserves’ water purification unit following his discharge, according to his obituary.

The obituary described him as a selfless friend who above all loved his daughter.

“He was a devoted father, and she was an extreme light in his life,” the obituary said.

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If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.