Wyoming Man Sentenced Four Years Colorado Manslaughter Assisted Suicide

Mark Switzer, a 73-year-old Wyoming man, was sentenced to four years in prison in Colorado for aiding in the suicide of his friend and co-worker, Nathan Combs, in 2017. Combs, facing prison time for child sexual exploitation charges, had arranged for Switzer to kill him after increasing his life insurance policy and signing a will leaving his possessions to his wife. Initially believed to have died in a truck accident, it was later discovered Combs had been shot twice in the head. Switzer pleaded guilty to manslaughter, with the original first-degree murder charge dropped in a plea agreement. Prosecutors emphasized that despite Combs' request, Switzer's action was a deliberate and calculated killing that would not be tolerated by the community. Switzer had already served part of his sentence prior to sentencing, following his arrest in 2023 after forensic analysis took years to complete.