Woman enters not guilty plea in homicide case
April 11, 2008 - 10:00 AM
by Tahlia Ganser | Skagit Valley Herald
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.