Dr. Bruce Hayse leaves the Clifford P. Hansen Courthouse on Wednesday afternoon after declining to immediately testify during a coroner’s inquest into the death of Anthony Birkholz, citing a need to get back to his office to care for patients. Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue, presiding over the inquest, was forced to get a bench warrant for Hayse, to whose home paramedics were called in January when Birkholz was found unconscious shortly before his death. The warrant was quashed when Hayse returned to the courthouse to testify about two hours later.
Dr. Bruce Hayse leaves the Clifford P. Hansen Courthouse on Wednesday afternoon after declining to immediately testify during a coroner’s inquest into the death of Anthony Birkholz, citing a need to get back to his office to care for patients. Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue, presiding over the inquest, was forced to get a bench warrant for Hayse, to whose home paramedics were called in January when Birkholz was found unconscious shortly before his death. The warrant was quashed when Hayse returned to the courthouse to testify about two hours later.
The Teton County coroner thinks a Jackson Hole man would still be alive if a witness to his death would have called 911 sooner.
A three-person jury came to that same conclusion after hearing two days of witness testimony during a coroner’s inquest, a trial-like proceeding that took place Tuesday and Wednesday at the Clifford P. Hansen Courthouse. The goal was to determine the cause of death of Anthony “Tony” Birkholz.
Birkholz, an artist and filmmaker, died Jan. 17 after a night out drinking. He became unconscious at Dr. Bruce Hayse’s house in East Jackson after reportedly experimenting with drugs, witnesses said.
“If he had made the 911 call from the kitchen when Tony was in the kitchen, which is what he purported to do, which we don’t think he did, Tony would be alive,” Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue said of Hayse. “That’s my opinion.”
After 30 minutes of deliberation Wednesday afternoon, the jury found that Birkholz died due to aspiration, secondary to alcohol and “five methoxy DMT ingestion.” Contributing factors included the failure by a witness to call 911 immediately and failure to protect Birkholz’s head and airway, the jury found. They found the manner of death to be accidental.
The decision came four months after a Bonneville County, Idaho, coroner said Birkholz’s death was natural. The 32-year-old was flown to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and pronounced dead after a short stay in intensive care. But an autopsy was never done, Blue said, and his death certificate indicates he died of natural causes.
But, Blue said, “There was nothing natural about it.”
Two days of testimony about the moments leading up to Birkholz’s death revealed he was out drinking at The Wort and Amangani with Casey Hardison, Noah Evans, Penelope Salcido and Hayse before the group went back to Hayse’s house and someone brought up doing dimethyltryptamine or DMT.
“I said out loud I thought it was a bad idea,” Salcido testified Wednesday. “They started putting it on the table anyways and started cutting it up.”
Salcido said Hayse hadn’t been drinking and that he wasn’t in the room when Birkholz took the drugs.
Hayse initially refused to testify on Wednesday.
“I cannot testify today,” Hayse said in court. “I got this subpoena at 9:30 this morning. I have an office full of patients. This is a violation of the procedures.”
Hayse left and a bench warrant was issued.
“We want to find out why this person died and your testimony could be very helpful,” Blue said.
Hayse took the stand hours later and testified that he called 911 after he noticed Birkholz was turning blue.
“I got him partway down the stairs and he stopped breathing,” Hayse said. “He turned blue very rapidly.”
Birkholz’s mother, Theresa Eisele, was in the courtroom, not looking for closure but hoping for answers.
“What we were initially told and what has come to light are two different things,” Eisele said.
Birkholz was cremated before a doctor could examine his body, according to Blue.
The findings of the inquest will be filed in Teton County District Court. It’s unlikely any criminal charges will stem from the inquest, police said. Look for a more in-depth story, including interviews with jurors, in the May 24 edition of the Jackson Hole News&Guide.
This is about Tony and why he died and the questionable circumstances around his death. If you want to make more of this then ask why was he at a physicians home partaking in drugs and when Tony was in distress why the emergency personnel were not called immediately. Even if I don't agree in the practices of Dr. Blue he is doing his job as a corner to investigate this tragedy. By talking about Dr. Blue instead of what happened to Tony you are taking away the focus of what happened in this tragedy. I personally knew Tony and I am deeply grieved by his death.
More articulately put: Dr. Blue is a caring, committed and incredibly talented physician who is restoring professionalism and accountability to the corner's office WHILE providing a legal - and in many cases - life saving, procedure in his private practice that no one else in the "equality" state has the courage to provide. And yes, this has subjected him to the visual spectacle that comes along with untruthful, fear-mongering, sandwich board-wearing nuts who are more-often-than-not, out of state, paid zealots.
Dr Blue actively practices abortions and ran for coroner to help build his reputation back up after the protesters were in posted up in front of his office.
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This is about Tony and why he died and the questionable circumstances around his death. If you want to make more of this then ask why was he at a physicians home partaking in drugs and when Tony was in distress why the emergency personnel were not called immediately. Even if I don't agree in the practices of Dr. Blue he is doing his job as a corner to investigate this tragedy. By talking about Dr. Blue instead of what happened to Tony you are taking away the focus of what happened in this tragedy. I personally knew Tony and I am deeply grieved by his death.
More articulately put: Dr. Blue is a caring, committed and incredibly talented physician who is restoring professionalism and accountability to the corner's office WHILE providing a legal - and in many cases - life saving, procedure in his private practice that no one else in the "equality" state has the courage to provide. And yes, this has subjected him to the visual spectacle that comes along with untruthful, fear-mongering, sandwich board-wearing nuts who are more-often-than-not, out of state, paid zealots.
And those abortions are legal so STFU and go crawl back under the bible I doubt you've actually read.
Dr Blue actively practices abortions and ran for coroner to help build his reputation back up after the protesters were in posted up in front of his office.
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