In a classic but tragic case, Richard Kelly, of Las Vegas, has been charged with murder in a heroin case. Mr. Kelly admitted to injecting heroin into Teresa Sanchez, who subsequently died from an overdose.
The distinction is murder instead of negligent homicide. It stems from an illegal act. When a death occurs in the course of a felony, the death is automatically charged as a murder. In this case, Kelly and Sanchez were shooting up in Kelly’s trailer. He called 911 when problems arose, and by the time paramedics arrived, Ms. Sanchez could not be saved. She was pronounced dead at North Vista Hospital.
At first, Kelly’s story was that Ms. Sanchez arrived, already stoned and “looking sick.” But further investigation revealed he had told a different story to her boyfriend about the incident, admitting that he had injected her with the drug. Police then arrested Kelly and he confessed.
It isn’t unusual for heroin addicts to inject each other. Some users are afraid of needles and rely on the practiced skill of another to give them the shot. It also happens when needles and doses are shared between more than one person. Unfortunately, getting shot-up by someone who is also a drug addict doesn’t make for either a skilled administration, nor does it account for different dosing. One addict may tolerate a much higher dose of heroin than another – meaning that what is safe for one can kill another. This is especially true when different body types come into play.
It is unknown whether Ms. Sanchez would have been saved if emergency personnel had been contacted sooner. Heroin typically kills a person by causing their breathing to stop and dying in this way takes as little as five minutes. EMS does carry Narcan, an injectable counter-agent to heroin. If EMS arrives in time, this simple injection can save a life.
