Members of assisted suicide group plead not guilty

CUMMING - Four members of an assisted suicide group pleaded not guilty Thursday in north Georgia on charges they helped a man with cancer kill himself.

A grand jury in Forsyth County indicted the four members of the Final Exit Network last month on charges of offering assistance in the commission of suicide, tampering with evidence and violating the state's anti-racketeering laws.

Facing charges are: Claire Blehr, former network president Thomas E. Goodwin, ex-medical director Dr. Lawrence D. Egbert and regional coordinator Nicholas Alec Sheridan.

Authorities say the network has helped dozens of people kill themselves since it was founded in 2004. Some members, including Egbert, also face charges from authorities in Arizona in connection with a suicide there.