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A Logan man who offered a handgun to his suicidal friend and told him to pull the trigger has been sentenced to prison for up to 15 years.
David Schofield, 48, was charged in 1st District Court with class A misdemeanor reckless endangerment for giving the gun to the 20-year-old man, who used it to kill himself on June 13.
Schofield also was charged with second-degree felony possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person for having the gun, a Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolver, despite a 1997 felony conviction in Arizona for aggravated assault.
Last month, Schofield pleaded guilty to the weapon charge, and also pleaded guilty to class A misdemeanor negligent homicide.
On Monday, Judge Kevin Allen sentenced Schofield to prison for a one-to-15-year term to run concurrently with one year for the negligent homicide conviction.
Allen also fined Schofield $12,500 and ordered him to pay $7,500 in restitution for the victim's funeral expenses and to pay for any ongoing counseling costs for the victim's family and the witnesses to the suicide event.
Charging documents state that the man who killed himself had argued with his girlfriend on June 12 and sent text messages to a friend, saying he wanted to end his life. The next morning, the man went with his girlfriend and the friend to Schofield's home "for assistance in dealing with [the victim's] depression issues," according to charges.
The friend and girlfriend both told investigators that Schofield got out the revolver and gave it to the 20-year-old man, who was sitting on the couch. The friend and girlfriend recalled Schofield saying, approximately, "If you want to do it, then pull the trigger."
"At that time, [the 20-year-old] put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger," charges state. The Tribune typically does not identify suicide victims.
Schofield told police he received the gun from a relative "some time ago" and has kept it in a lockbox in his bedroom.
Cache County prosecutor James Swink said when charges were filed in June, "This case cries out for a charge that tells the community this is not appropriate; this is the wrong way to approach a person who's in crisis.
"Call 911, call a family member. Take this person to a safe place. The appropriate action is to find help, not to offer a weapon so they can kill themselves."
Swink said it is the first case he has filed where a suspect allegedly facilitated another person's suicide.