Earlier this week, we blogged about Mary-Kate Olsen, and the fact that she might receive an immunity deal in exchange for her knowledge about the late Heath Ledger’s drug use. But today, federal prosecutors are officially dropping the investigation into the origins of the drugs which contributed to Ledger’s death in January.
Prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan had been overseeing a Drug Enforcement Administration probe into whether the painkillers found in Ledger’s system were obtained illegally. But the prosecutors have bowed out “because they don’t believe there’s a viable target,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because no charges have been filed.
The DEA had obtained a subpoena that could have forced Olsen if she continued to hold out. But the subpoena, issued in April, is no longer valid because it was contingent upon prosecutors pursuing the case, the official said Wednesday. The official added that the case could still be revived if evidence of a crime emerges.
Mary-Kate will probably never have to testify, and we’ll probably never know where Ledger got the drugs, or what M-K’s connection is, if she even has one. But does a “case closed” instantly provide closure for the family and friends who have spent months on trying to reconstruct the “whys” and “hows” surrounding an untimely and tragic death? Here’s Idol Chatter’s wish for the family–that friends and loved ones serve as a support system during this difficult time and aid you in achieving some sort of acceptance of this tragedy.
posted August 12, 2008 at 9:02 pm
This seems akin to the (incomplete?) investigation of River Phoenix’ overdose death at Johnny Depp’s nightclub.
I don’t know what the calculus is on when to take a hard line with celebrities and when to leave them alone.
I guess the authorities figure if you can’t get a jury conviction on O.J. for double murder, it hardly seems worth bothering about something as “minor” as supplying drugs to someone who later overdosed.