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Woman enters not guilty plea in homicide case

Tahlia Ganser
Skagit Valley Herald
April 11, 2008 - 10:00 AM


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MOUNT VERNON — A 19-year-old Mount Vernon woman pleaded not guilty Thursday to killing a 52-year-old Stanwood man with a mix of heroin and cocaine in late February.

Tarah Lynn Deutsch pleaded not guilty to controlled-substance homicide, second-degree manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance — cocaine and heroin, in Skagit County Superior Court Thursday.

Patrick Brady was found dead in a Mount Vernon hotel room on Feb. 23

Mount Vernon Police Detective Sgt. Mark Shipman said Thursday toxicology tests revealed Brady had a blood alcohol level of 0.14. He also tested positive for cocaine and morphine, a derivative of heroin.

His cause of death was the combination of the three, Shipman said.

Mount Vernon police were called to the hotel room after cleaning staff found Brady’s body Feb. 23. Police found syringes and needles, as well as injection marks on Brady’s arm, according to court documents.

Police identified Deutsch from a Haggen grocery sales receipt found in Brady’s car and from surveillance videos from the store and hotel, the documents state.

Deutsch was arrested on unrelated charges Feb. 27.

During interviews, Deutsch said she bought heroin and cocaine for Brady, mixed them and put the drugs in syringes, according to court documents. She said she and Brady both injected the drugs while they were near Bow and then again in the hotel room, court documents state.

Deutsch said Brady was not dead when she left the room. She also told police he did not have any other drugs on him at the time, court documents state.

Deutsch is being held on a $250,000 bail. She is set to appear for an omnibus hearing May 8.

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Report Violation Posted by Manerva  on  April 11, 2008 - 02:07 PM

As PRO-prosecution and ANTI-societal sponge as I am if I was on this jury it would be really HARD to convict this woman of MURDER.

Report Violation Posted by myopinion  on  April 11, 2008 - 02:52 PM

I agree. Granted nobody should be “using” or prepping it for others, but I don’t see where she would have intentionally caused harm to others. However there are always convictions for vehicular homicide when a person crashes & their passenger who was partying with them dies.  Sad.  Maybe it’ll give her a chance to “clean up”

Report Violation Posted by Manerva  on  April 11, 2008 - 03:59 PM

Except that usually, in cases of vehicular homocide you can prove who was driving, who was the victim. In vehicular homocide cases somebody CHOSE to put their passenger in harms way.

Granted, I don’t know all the facts of this case, but this article says that all she did was fill the cyringes.  The both injected themselves.  It doesn’t say where she forced him to shoot up.  Sounds like he CHOSE to.

Report Violation Posted by *shrug*  on  April 11, 2008 - 04:20 PM

She wouldn’t have killed him, it sounds like he was a good customer.  It’s bad business to kill off the people who fund you.  I don’t LIKE what she did, but it wasn’t murder.  I mean, it’s not like the guy was an unwilling participant here.  It was an overdose.  They happen.  If we need to blame someone, how about the dude shooting up illegal substances?

Report Violation Posted by LaCanner  on  April 12, 2008 - 04:53 AM

The law is clear:

RCW 69.50.415
Controlled substances homicide Penalty.

(1) A person who unlawfully delivers a controlled substance in violation of RCW 69.50.401(2) (a), (b), or (c) which controlled substance is subsequently used by the person to whom it was delivered, resulting in the death of the user, is guilty of controlled substances homicide.

--

If you sell drugs to someone and they die when they use them, you’re guilty of homicide.

Report Violation Posted by Rev Hank  on  April 12, 2008 - 08:31 AM

Sure, the law is very clear. It’s the thought process behind the law that’s so murky. The work of politicians should never be above thoughtful review, otherwise our country is likely to become the world’s largest jail. Oh wait, with 2.2 million people incarcerated, I guess we already are.

Report Violation Posted by *shrug*  on  April 13, 2008 - 08:37 PM

The law might state it clearly, but I still think it’s a very strange way to shift the blame.  Not that this woman is innocent, exactly.  She should absolutely be convicted of possession of controlled substances and such, but she didn’t kill the guy.  He did it himself.  I guess there’s nothing to be done about it, but I think the law on that one is a little misdirected.

Report Violation Posted by Manerva  on  April 14, 2008 - 11:56 AM

OK...so...does that mean that the State of Washington is guilty of all of the drunk driving homocides that have happened due to liquor being sold by them?

Involuntary manslaughter at best.

Report Violation Posted by *shrug*  on  April 14, 2008 - 02:12 PM

Manerva, I think that scenario would only work if the liquor was sold unlawfully.  Still, it’s a good point.  Even though the woman in question is certainly guilty of SOMETHING, I wouldn’t call it manslaughter, involuntary or not.

Report Violation Posted by stubbymanno  on  April 19, 2008 - 05:27 PM

what about using her as an example to all youth that this will be the result when you use hard drugs?  even a drug addict knows that death can occur by using.....

Report Violation Posted by supermom12001  on  May 05, 2008 - 04:23 PM

manerva it is not the state of washington is not guilty it is the person who give out durgs


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