A jury will decide if a Southwest Memorial Hospital emergency room doctor was negligent two years ago when a Cortez man committed suicide.

A jury of six women and one man were impaneled late Monday afternoon to decide the malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Mark Turpen. The plaintiff, Renee Villelli, claims Turpen was negligent in providing her husband, Ted Villelli, with proper medical treatment June 9, 2010.

“They didn’t want to bother with Ted Villelli,” plaintiff’s attorney Michael McLachlan told jurors.

During his 40-minute opening statement, McLachlan, also the representative for House District 59, which includes Durango, said Turpen spent four minutes with Ted Villelli after Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office deputies, at the request of his wife and son, brought him into the hospital for a mental-health evaluation. McLachlan said the suicide assessment should have taken at least an hour.

According to McLachlan, Ted Villelli had suffered from years of documented depression and twice tried to take his life during a four-month period in 2008. The plaintiff’s attorney said financial and family problems compounded the issue, making the situation worse during spring 2010.

During his seven-minute opening statement, defense counsel John Mullen asked the jurors to rely on testimony and evidence presented during the five-day trial, rather than argumentative statements made by opposing counsel. He said Turpen’s own hand-written medical notes from the night in question reflect that he provided adequate care.

“What happened after Mr. Villelli left the hospital is a tragedy,” Mullen told jurors, “but we can’t judge this case with hindsight.”