Has this ever happened before?
Baltimore medical examiner Dr. David Fowler ruled the heroin overdose of 24-year-old Amber Brown a homicide-- but so far no one has been charged with anything. (Sun story)
Dr. Fowler has taken heat in the past (from me and Stephen Janis, anyway) for the crazy amount of undetermined deaths on the city's rolls-- at one point more than 340 in a single year, waay more . Fowler's comeback was that deeming overdoses' 'cause of death: undetermined' instead of 'accidental' was more intellectually honest in cases where a person might have been administered the fatal dose of a drug by someone else, which would technically be a homicide.
So it's kind of amazing after thousands of people determined 'undetermined' during Fowler's tenture this is the first time I have ever heard of an overdose actually classified as a homicide. Is there some evidence of a homicidal intention somewhere in the drug-supply chain?
Baltimore medical examiner Dr. David Fowler ruled the heroin overdose of 24-year-old Amber Brown a homicide-- but so far no one has been charged with anything. (Sun story)
Dr. Fowler has taken heat in the past (from me and Stephen Janis, anyway) for the crazy amount of undetermined deaths on the city's rolls-- at one point more than 340 in a single year, waay more . Fowler's comeback was that deeming overdoses' 'cause of death: undetermined' instead of 'accidental' was more intellectually honest in cases where a person might have been administered the fatal dose of a drug by someone else, which would technically be a homicide.
So it's kind of amazing after thousands of people determined 'undetermined' during Fowler's tenture this is the first time I have ever heard of an overdose actually classified as a homicide. Is there some evidence of a homicidal intention somewhere in the drug-supply chain?
7 comments:
We know Amber Brown had an upset stomach, allegedly. We also know that she had been drinking, allegedly. What we don't know yet is whether she willing wanted heroin injected into her arm. The commenter a couple of posts down said the injecter friend was injecting a number of people at the residence. Did Amber Brown scream "Inject me, inject me, I want to try some heroin!!!" or was she zoned out, nursing her stomach and didn't have the willpower to say no when her friend decided it was her turn with for the syringe?
Anybody suspicious that this was deemed a homicide in order to make the "Honor Roll" a little more multi-cultural? As a white man, I was starting to feel pretty invulnerable in the city.
It wasn't deemed a homicide to make the city happy. They had the evidence to prove it. They spoke with the "friend" who told them what happened-admitted it! That is why it is a homicide. If you have cruel remarks please keep them to yourself. You didn't know her, she isn't your family, imagine if this happened to someone you love as it did us, would you want to see cruel comments like that when people don't know the whole story?
No, Anonymous #1, there was no need for forced cultural diversity. The female part of the Baltimore City honor roll has always included one or more Caucasians every year. White women have a habit of making their way into the big bad city from surrounding counties and then associating with the wrong people. Think Lois Smyth, Cherie Gannon. It's very consistent.
Yes, white women drawn to ride the white horse.. it's just that white girls tend more to the opiates in the form of pain pills. Glad They are also going for the 'pain doctors.' Yes, there is no such thing as knowing the whole story, but I also doubt this was the first exposure Amber had to opiates-- letting someone inject you is pretty hardcore no matter how drunk someone might be. Unless she was passed out and forcibly injected-- I hope there will be charging docs with a more complete story soon.
.. or didn't know what was being injected and thought she was getting insulin or something.
and remember, kids, the white drugs can kill, even the first time you use them.
Was this Amber's first exposure to opiates? We can say we don't know, but we may.
This is a case tailor-made for our boy, David Fowler. We'll see whether he is worth the big bucks the state pays him. One of the easiest things to spot on a corpse are needle marks. If Amber didn't have any noticeable pin pricks or track lines, one could say that this might be her first foray with injectable drugs. The medical examiner can also look at gums, teeth, liver, heart and other organs to get a good idea about someone's mind-altering substance abuse history.
I can see why Dr. Fowler is chasing this one, this might be a very rock solid case.
Post a Comment