So since one of the women brought the drugs ( But it seems like NM willingly took them) could they be charged with murder or manslaughter?
I think the people who bought the drugs for him are not dealers, they are suffering from addiction too, which is considered a brain disease. They also have families who love them and want them to get help. They
indirectly supplied the drugs, buying them from a dealer and provided them to him at his request.
While it may be possible to charge someone with murder or manslaughter, it’s rare and convictions even more rare. There have been 15 people charged in the parish in the past decade resulting in one conviction.
Here’s an in depth article on East Baton Rouge Parrish use of the law.
Murder charges in drug overdose deaths are rare in Louisiana; police, prosecutors explain why | Crime/Police | theadvocate.com
Police say it's hard to meet the high standard of proof for a murder arrest in most drug cases; the district attorney says the charge isn't always appropriate; and advocates say it deters people from reporting when they need help and treatment.
"The idea is to actually just hone in on the person that is the actual dealer of drugs, not just a friend who gives folks drugs," he [East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore] said. "We want the dealer to be at risk and subject to penalty."
Although overdose deaths continue to climb, this category of murder arrest remains infrequent.
Moore says this is due to several factors. His primary goal is to focus on treatment options for people who use drugs, "so they don’t die and aren’t victimized."
All deaths are investigated in the parish by law enforcement, but not every overdose death reveals the type of evidence that can open a homicide case.
In many cases.. there are multiple drugs present in someone's system, making it difficult to determine exactly which drug caused an individual's death.
"I don’t think I’ve waived on a heroin dealer," he said. "A heroin dealer knows that it’s inherently dangerous to deal heroin. But people who are possessing heroin and are not the dealer? Surely the mindset is much more treatment alternatives and not prosecution."
"You cannot get a dead person into treatment. As long as there’s life, there’s hope."