Pennsylvania woman’s ‘heinous’ messages to estranged boyfriend led to his suicide

Mandie Reusch, 35, was charged in the twisted case that started two years ago when Kevin Metzger committed suicide after he received “heinous and graphic” messages from her, according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office.

Metzger penned a suicide letter and posted on Facebook about the steady stream of tormenting messages before he took his own life at the age of 37, District lawyer Nicole Ziccarelli said in a statement.

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

The former couple share a child, the New York Post reported.

Reusch repeatedly threatened to keep Metzger’s child from him, according to court documents reviewed by pennlive.com.

She told him over WhatsApp she was moving in with a new man, and that the new partner would be their daughter’s new father, according to documents.

She also warned Metzger would never see his child again.

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

She also messaged him how she would have sex with her new beau on Mother’s Day “while your daughter calls him daddy,” the news outlet reported, citing police.

In another instance, she allegedly sent a video of her having sex with another man when Metzger sent her $200 and she said that wasn’t enough money.

The messages were fired off when Metzger was at military training while Reusch and their daughter were home, police said, according to Pennlive.com.

“Go kill yourself,” she reportedly wrote in another message, this time from 2020. “You aren’t a real (expletive) human.”

Ziccarelli, the district attorney, said her office “will not allow or tolerate this kind of egregious behaviour,” while expressing 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 said.

Reusch was charged with aiding suicide, a felony, and harassment, a misdemeanour.

She was arraigned Tuesday morning and held on bail with her next court appearance set for June 27.

She was previously charged with harassment for the alleged harassing messages, pennlive reported.

The case was dropped when Metzger died.

The day he killed himself, he told Reusch he was going to post her cruel messages online after she told him he would not see his daughter for Father’s Day.

He also asked a friend to make sure “this gets known to the world” and sent her over the trove of messages.

Metzger served in the Army for 20 years, according to his obituary and was honourably discharged, according to his obituary.

He re-enlisted in the Army reserves after that.

He was described as a devoted father whose daughter was “an extreme light in his life.”

“He enjoyed a good time but was always there for his friends in tough times,” part of his obituary states. “He was a selfless and dedicated friend. Above all though, he passionately cared for his daughter.”

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission