TD man agrees to 5 years probation for his part in the death of bipolar woman found near high school in 2023
Alexandra Shea Cagle was found deceased in a U-Haul rental pickup on March 27 in The Dalles and the cause of suicide did not persuade her family, which took it upon themselves to dig deeper into the circumstances. Joseph Carl Newman, 62, pled no contest to criminally negligent homicide in connection with the death on Monday, May 12.
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., May 15, 2024 — A man from The Dalles accused of helping a bipolar woman commit suicide in a pickup just a block from The Dalles High School was convicted on Criminally Negligent Homicide on Monday, May 12.
Joseph Carl Newman, 62, pled no contest to criminally negligent homicide in assisting 29-year-old Alexandra Cagle in her own suicide on March 25, 2023.
Cagle was found in a rented moving pickup in the parking lot of First United Methodist Church, 305 E. 11th Street; she died from carbon-monoxide poisoning caused by a portable combustion engine pump that had been run inside the cab.
500 E. 11th Street, The Dalles
The day after police discovered the body, Alexandra’s mother and her two sisters visited Newman to collect Cagle’s personal belongings at 500 E. 11th Street - 700 feet from where Cagle was found deceased. The home is owned, in part, by Joseph Newman, according to Wasco County Property records.
Newman’s no-contest plea has the same legal standing as a guilty plea, however, Newman neither admitted nor denied guilt, but agreed to accept the punishment handed down by the court.
Wasco County Circuit Court Judge John Wolf accepted Newman’s plea at the Monday hearing.
A blurry screenshot of Newman taken from a video arraignment in 2023.
“As part of his plea, Mr. Newman offered a list of facts that Judge Wolf found sufficient for a conviction. These admissions included the fact that Mr. Newman picked up Ms. Cagle from a mental health facility where she was being treated for suicidal ideations. While hospitalized, Ms. Cagle communicated via text message to Mr. Newman her desire to end her life and the method she intended to use,” Davis said in a press release.
“Mr. Newman further admitted to driving Ms. Cagle to Coastal Farm & Ranch Supply Ranch (in The Dalles) and observing her purchase a water pump, the instrument she ultimately used to take her own life. Later, Ms. Cagle went to Mr. Newman's residence, where he provided her with gasoline and started the water pump for her before turning it off. Ms. Cagle then took the pump from Mr. Newman's house, sealed the cab of a U-Haul truck, and started the pump again, resulting in her death.”
"This case was extremely difficult as there is not any clear precedent for prosecuting someone for assisting in a suicide in the State of Oregon,” Davis said.
Assisted suicide is legal in Oregon under the Death With Dignity Act that became codified law in 1997.
“Typically, Oregon statutes provide assisted suicide as a defense to murder, not as an affirmative prosecution for a criminal defense,” Davis said. “No person has previously been convicted for this offense in Wasco County, and there are no other reported decisions of convictions of this nature in the State of Oregon."
But Davis contended that Newman went far outside the boundaries of the Assisted suicide law.
Meanhwhile, Newman’s defense sat on the idea that even if he did what the prosecution claims, there is legal justification and lacks criminal liability.
Despite the lack of clear precedent, District Attorney Davis emphasized the importance of pursuing the case.
"It was very important to me to set a precedent that you cannot aid a person in their own death in this manner. This is not a Death with Dignity Act situation. Mr. Newman established a relationship with someone who was profoundly mentally ill and depressed, and when she wanted to kill herself, he helped her achieve that goal. He did not alert the authorities. He did not contact anyone. He just sent her on her way."
"Suicide is always tragic,” Davis said. “If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, there is help for you. If you have no one you can contact, the crisis hotline number is 988."
