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Prosecutors Announce Decision On Criminal Charges In Death Of Music Icon Prince

Source: Adam Bettcher / Getty

The singer’s cousin and drummer Charles “Chazz” Smith is outraged at his inner circle, not at “the DEA and the investigators and all of the law enforcement people,” for not speaking up on what really went on behind his death.

 

No criminal charges will be filed in relation to Prince’s April 2016 death, Carver County attorney Mark Metz said in a news conference Thursday.

Prince, who suffered from an opiate addiction, died of an accidental fentanyl overdose after taking counterfeit Vicodin pills that were laced with fentanyl, Metz said.

“Prince had no idea he was taking a counterfeit pill that could kill him,” the attorney said.

There is no evidence showing how he obtained those counterfeit pills, Metz said, and no evidence that those around him knew. Because of that, there will be no criminal charges filed in the case.

The announcement came nearly two years after Prince, the larger-than-life recording artist, was found unresponsive in an elevator at Paisley Park, his home and recording studio in Chanhassen, Minnesota. He was 57.

Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller about 30 to 50 times stronger than heroin.

“Prince’s death is a tragic example that opioid addiction and overdose deaths do not discriminate, no matter the demographic,” Metz said.

Prince’s doctor settles civil allegations

Although there will be no criminal charges, the Minnesota physician who saw Prince twice in the weeks before the artist’s death agreed to pay $30,000 to the US to settle civil allegations that he prescribed drugs to someone else knowing that Prince would take them.

Dr. Michael Schulenberg prescribed the painkiller Percocet to Prince, but put the one-time prescription in the name of Kirk Johnson, Prince’s former drummer and longtime friend, Metz said on Thursday. He made that decision to protect Prince’s privacy, Metz said.

Schulenberg did not admit liability as part of the agreement, which settled what law enforcement officials contended was a civil violation of the Controlled Substances Act.

“Doctors are trusted medical professionals and, in the midst of our opioid crisis, they must be part of the solution,” said US Attorney Greg Brooker. “As licensed professionals, doctors are held to a high level of accountability in their prescribing practices, especially when it comes to highly addictive painkillers.”

Amy S. Conners, Schulenberg’s attorney, said in a statement the settlement was made “in order to avoid the expense, delay, and unknown outcome of litigation.”

Conners said that Schulenberg affirmed he did not prescribe opiates to any patient with the intention that they be given to Prince.

“After he learned of Prince’s addiction, he immediately worked to refer Prince to a treatment facility and to transfer care to a chemical dependency specialist,” Conners said. “Dr. Schulenberg has previously disclosed all information regarding his care and treatment of Prince to his employers, law enforcement, and regulatory authorities in the course of his complete cooperation with all related investigations.”

 

READ MORE: News5Cleveland.com

Article Courtesy of CNN and WEWS News 5 Cleveland

First Picture Courtesy of Kevin Winter and Getty Images

Second Picture Courtesy of Adam Bettcher and Getty Images

Video Courtesy of CNN, YouTube, and WEWS News 5 Cleveland

Attorney Declines to File Charges in Prince’s Death  was originally published on wzakcleveland.com

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