PEORIA, Ariz. (KPNX) — A registered nurse from Peoria was charged with murder after she allegedly helped her friend die following a break-up, according to authorities in Orange County, Calif.
Kristie Jane Koepplin, 58, is accused of injecting her friend, Matthew Peter Sokalski, with drugs after he asked her to help him die.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department investigated after Sokalski's body was found inside the room of a hotel in Mission Viejo on April 6.
Koepplin was arrested in the driveway of her home earlier this month, according to court documents. She has been charged with murder, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said.
Koepplin pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and was released from custody when she posted a $1 million bail, the district attorney's office said. She is scheduled to return to court for a pre-trial hearing on Jan. 7.
The district attorney's office said Koepplin faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
California does have a right to die law, but it only applies to terminally ill patients who are able to make medical decisions.
