Mac Miller Death: Man to Plead Guilty to Fentanyl Distribution

U.S.|Man to Plead Guilty to Fentanyl Distribution successful Death of Mac Miller

A Los Angeles antheral has agreed to plead blameworthy to distributing the fentanyl pills that the rapper Mac Miller consumed earlier helium died of an accidental overdose successful 2018, according to tribunal documents.

Under the statement with national prosecutors, the man, Stephen Andrew Walter, 48, would service 17 years successful prison.

Mr. Walter was 1 of 3 radical indicted successful 2019 transportation with the decease of Mr. Miller, 26, a versatile creator who had rapped astir cause usage and spoken openly astir his struggles with addiction and depression.

The 2 different defendants, Cameron James Pettit and Ryan Michael Reavis, are scheduled to spell to proceedings successful March, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

According to the plea agreement, which was filed successful tribunal connected Monday, Mr. Walter directed Mr. Reavis to administer fentanyl successful the signifier of counterfeit oxycodone pills to Mr. Pettit connected Sept. 4, 2018.

Later that evening, astatine Mr. Walter’s direction, Mr. Reavis delivered the pills to Mr. Pettit, the papers states.

Shortly thereafter, Mr. Pettit gave the pills to Mr. Miller. Mr. Miller aboriginal ingested the fentanyl, which, successful operation with cocaine and alcohol, caused him to dice of an overdose connected Sept. 7, 2018, the papers states.

Mr. Miller “would not person died from an overdose but for the fentanyl contained successful the pills” that helium received from Mr. Pettit, Mr. Walter’s plea statement states.

Mr. Walter is expected to formally plead blameworthy to 1 number of fentanyl organisation connected Nov. 8 and to beryllium sentenced astatine a aboriginal date.

Mr. Walter and the prosecutors agreed that his condemnation should beryllium calculated based connected a much superior discourtesy — organisation of fentanyl resulting successful decease — than connected the azygous number of fentanyl organisation to which helium agreed to plead guilty.

“Everybody agreed, aft going done each the evidence, that this was a just and tenable disposition,” Mr. Walter’s lawyer, William Harris, said connected Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors declined to remark connected the plea statement connected Wednesday. Lawyers for Mr. Pettit did not instantly respond to messages. A lawyer for Mr. Reavis confirmed that nary plea statement had been reached successful his case.

Mr. Miller had precocious released his 5th full-length album, “Swimming,” which opened astatine No. 3 connected the Billboard medium chart, erstwhile helium died successful his location successful the Studio City conception of Los Angeles.

An aboriginal net occurrence story, helium topped the illustration with his autarkic debut, “Blue Slide Park,” successful 2011. By 2013 helium was speaking publically astir addiction, and his 2015 album “GO:OD AM” dealt with it explicitly.

In 2016, Mr. Miller’s romanticist narration with the popular prima Ariana Grande brought adjacent him much wide attention. She announced successful 2018 that they had breached up.

According to the indictment, Mr. Pettit had agreed to proviso Mr. Miller with 10 “blues” — a thoroughfare word for oxycodone pills — arsenic good arsenic cocaine and the sedative Xanax.

But alternatively of giving Mr. Miller genuine oxycodone, Mr. Pettit sold Mr. Miller counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl, a almighty synthetic opioid that is acold much potent than heroin, prosecutors said.

The indictment said that Mr. Pettit had ordered the fentanyl-laced pills from Mr. Walter and that Mr. Reavis had past delivered the drugs to Mr. Pettit.