3 indicted for providing drugs that led to rapper Mac Miller's overdose death
Three men arrested during the investigation into rapper Mac Miller's deadly overdose last year have been charged with giving the drugs that killed him, according to U.S. prosecutors. The grand jury indictment, unsealed in Los Angeles on Wednesday, accused the men of conspiring and distributing cocaine and oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl that caused Miller's death in September 2018.
Cameron Pettit, Stephen Walter and Ryan Reavis were previously charged with drug-related offenses. Wednesday's charges add the allegation that their drugs led to Miller's death.
All have been arrested in recent weeks and remain in custody; none of them have entered a plea. Attorneys for Pettit and Walter declined comment to The Associated Press. It's unclear if Reavis has a lawyer.
Miller, 26, died of an accidental overdose of the powerful opioid fentanyl, along with cocaine and alcohol. Fentanyl has contributed to an epidemic of opioid abuse in the U.S. that has claimed thousands of lives, including those of other musicians, like Prince.
The men face a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and the potential for life without parole if convicted of either of the charges related to Miller's death.
Pettit and Walter, who was also charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition, were scheduled to be arraigned on the new charges October 10. Reavis, who was arrested last week in Arizona, does not have an arraignment date set yet.
The indictment alleges the men continued to distribute drugs through August 2019.
The Pittsburgh native, whose real name was Malcolm James Myers McCormick, was a beloved and respected figure among fans, including some of the biggest names in hip-hop. Miller's beats and rhymes often featured frank expressions of drug use and depression.
The indictment alleged Walter supplied the fentanyl and cocaine that Pettit sold to Miller and that Reavis, who lived in the Los Angeles area until earlier this year, acted as a middleman for the fentanyl sale.
Pettit on September 5, 2018 sold Miller cocaine, Xanax and 10 blue pills that appeared to be oxycodone but contained fentanyl after the two had exchanged text messages a day earlier, according to the indictment.
In the texts, Miller proclaimed his love for oxycodone, or "percs" for the brand name Percocet, and also asks for "bars" of Xanax and a "ball" of cocaine, according to a previous court filing. Miller also asked Pettit, "When can u get em?" according to previous court filings.