CHICAGO, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Rodolfo Linares of Chicago, who 16 years ago unplugged the respirator keeping his infant son alive, has died at ago 40, reportedly after a drinking bout.
Linares -- whose act led to an Illinois law allowing legal guardians to remove life support under certain conditions -- was found dead Saturday in his apartment by his second wife after a bout of drinking, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
Linares unplugged the respirator of his 15-month-old son after holding an intensive care nurse at gunpoint. The baby had been declared brain dead after choking on a balloon.
"I did it because I loved my son," Linares later told police. A grand jury refused to indict him and he was given probation.
While his act helped spark a national debate on artificial life support, Linares' own life began to collapse after the incident. His marriage broke up and he lost another son in a gang shooting, the Sun-Times reported.
Survivors also include a daughter, two sons, two brothers, his father, and two grandchildren.
