Three men have officially been charged with offences related to Mac Miller’s fatal overdose last year, Sky News reports.
Mac Miller, real name Malcolm McCormick, was found dead in his California home after an accidental drug overdose on September 7 last year. Shortly before his death, Miller took a combination of alcohol, cocaine, and fentanyl (an opioid that’s 50-100x more potent tan morphine).
Fentanyl is a cheap synthetic opioid that has played a major part in the opioid crisis that has ravaged the US in recent years.
A grand jury indictment accuses Cameron Pettit, Stephen Walter and Ryan Reavis of conspiring and distributing the fentanyl-laced drugs that lead to the 26-year-old’s untimely death.
The trio had already been charged with drug-related offences, but the new charges are related to the fact that the counterfeit pills were directly related to Miller’s death.
“The indictment contains two counts that accuse the men of being responsible for Mac Miller’s death — a conspiracy count and the narcotics distribution charge. Previously, Pettit and Miller were charged with distributing narcotics, and now the indictment alleges that their conduct resulted in a death,” the United States Attorney’s Office clarified to Rolling Stone.
According to the official court documents, the charges include: “conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in death” and “distribution of Fentanyl resulting in death” among others.
It is understood that the fentanyl-laced pills came from Walter, who sold them to Pettit before he eventually sold them to Mac Miller on the morning of September 5th 2018.
Ryan Reavis stands accused of being the “runner” for Walter, who hand-delivered the counterfeit oxycodone pills to Pettit.
According to BBC, prosecutors say that evidence against Pettit includes a text he sent a friend saying “most likely I will die in jail.”
Miller, who had a history of substance abuse but no history of overdoses, is believed to have purchased the pills under the assumption that they were oxycodone, and not the fentanyl-laced counterfeits.
Walter and Reavis both have criminal histories including previous drug charges, as well as felony ammunition charges. Pettit has also been charged previously with drug-related offences.
If convicted, the men will face a mandatory prison sentence of at least 20 years. The potential of a life sentence without parole is also possible if it is found that they were in-part responsible for Miller’s death.
