It’s been two years since Prince passed away and any folk hoping for criminal ramifications will be disappointed today. Because it has been announced that no criminal charges will be filed.
Details below…
The legend was found dead on April 21st 2016 in an elevator at his Paisley Park home in Minnesota, with the cause of death being accidental fentanyl overdose.
Thereafter, it quickly became apparent that the singer was battling addition to prescription medication.
Much like in the narratives of Michael Jackson and countless others, attention naturally turned to who exactly was suppling the Purple one. For, given the doses being dealt, improper practice was a high likelihood.
This morning, though, law enforcement authorities in Minnesota closed a major part of their investigation, announcing that no one would be criminally charged in the case.
Mark Metz, The Carver County attorney, said in a conference that Prince died after unknowingly taking counterfeit Vicodin that contained fentanyl. He stressed, however, that there was “no reliable evidence of how Prince obtained” what proved to be the fatal drug.
“We have no direct evidence that a specific person provided the fentanyl to Prince. [Furthermore] no sinister motive, intent or conspiracy to murder Prince.”
Interestingly though, Minnesota doctor named Michael Schulenberg, has agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a federal civil violation for an illegal prescription he issued for Prince – his attorneys have confirmed.
See, Dr. Schulenberg admitted to investigators that he had prescribed an opiate painkiller to the singer in someone else’s name. “Kirk Johnson” to be specific. The real Johnson was Prince’s longtime friend, bodyguard and occasional drummer. Schulenberg insists he did this to protect Prince’s privacy.
His legal team stress that he’s admitting no liability and maintains he did not prescribe drugs to anyone with the intention they be redirected to Prince. Speaking in a statement,. Schulenberg lawyer said:
“[My client] not a target in any criminal inquiry and there have been no allegations made by the government that Dr. Schulenberg had any role in Prince’s death.” [Source]
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Sigh.
In any case, Prince’s passing remains a huge loss and one of music’s most pronounced losses.
May he rest peacefully in power.