A St. Louis County jury decided today that Jacob Runge is not guilty of voluntary manslaughter and armed criminal action for his role in a mutual suicide pact with a close friend in Hazelwood in 2008.

Runge admitted purchasing a 9mm pistol with a close friend, Alex Harkins, and accompanying him to the St. Stanislaus Conservation Area on May 29, 2009, with the intent that both would take their lives. He said he test-fired the pistol and handed it to Harkins, hoping he would not use it.

After Harkins shot himself in the head, Runge panicked and fled. He kept the gun and continued to consider taking his life before Harkins' worried parents arrived at his home four days later and he led them to the body.

Prosecutors said it was a crime when Runge "knowingly assisted" Harkins, 21, who lived in Florissant.

Had he been convicted, Runge, 22, of St. Peters, could have faced a sentence of up to life in prison, with the possibility of parole.

Susan Roach, the lawyer representing Runge, said it was the first prosecution in Missouri for assisted suicide in more than a century.

According to court testimony, Harkins had been troubled since being molested by a priest at age 13 and had attempted suicide before.