Woman Pushed Ex to Suicide With Dark Messages: DA
A Pennsylvania woman’s “heinous and graphic” messages sent to her estranged boyfriend encouraged him to kill himself, prosecutors say, before he took his own life.
Mandie Reusch, 35, has been charged with aiding suicide and harassment, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said Tuesday. A criminal complaint filed by state police included disturbing details of the messages Reusch allegedly wrote to Kevin Metzger, 37, in the days leading up to his death.
“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. “These messages from Mr. Metzger’s estranged girlfriend were continuous and unrelenting for months, until it finally stopped when the victim took his own life.”
According to the complaint, Reusch and Metzger shared a daughter, Penn Live reports. While Metzger was away at military training in May 2021, Reusch allegedly messaged him to say she was moving in with another man and that he wouldn’t see their child again. “I hope for [the child’s] sake that you do kill yourself,” Reusch is accused of writing. “She would be better off not even knowing you.”
Police say she later wrote that she would have sex with her new partner on Mother’s Day “while your daughter calls him daddy.” When Metzger sent Reusch $200, she allegedly complained the amount was too small and sent him a video of her having sex with another man and said she had destroyed property that Metzger had left behind at the home.
Reusch was warned to stop sending the messages to Metzger after he complained to the Irwin Police. She was charged with harassment on June 3, 2021, but the charges were dropped following Metzger’s death 15 days later.
After Metzger died in his apartment, investigators found a letter and Facebook posts detailing the dark messages Reusch had allegedly sent to him. “Go kill yourself,” one 2020 message allegedly read. “You aren’t a real [expletive] human.” The note also reportedly made reference to an apparent $250,000 insurance policy.
Two days before Father’s Day in June 2021, a friend of Metzger’s told police they had been unable to contact him and asked them to conduct a welfare check. It was then that state police found his body. Police allege that Reusch told Metzger multiple times she wouldn’t let their daughter see him on Father’s Day.
On the same day his friend requested a welfare check, Metzger messaged Reusch to say that he was posting her messages online and contacted another friend asking them to ensure “this gets known to the world,” authorities said.
According to an obituary, Metzger served in the Army for almost 20 years and, following an honorable discharge, he re-enlisted in the Army Reserve. The obituary said he “passionately cared for his daughter.” “He was a devoted father, and she was an extreme light in his life,” it added.
Reusch failed to post $150,000 bail after her arraignment Tuesday, according to online court records. She was remanded to the Westmoreland County Prison and has a preliminary hearing on June 27.
“We extend our condolences to the Metzger family for their loss and the grief they have experienced since his death,” Ziccarelli said. “We will not allow or tolerate this kind of egregious behavior.”
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. You can also text or dial 988.
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