Vancouver police should indentify and question Glee star Cory Monteith’s drug dealer, says Toronto defence lawyer Robb MacDonald.
Monteith, 31, was found dead by staff at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, in Vancouver, on Saturday afternoon. On Tuesday, the B.C. Coroners service confirmed he died from a mix of heroin and alcohol. Because he died while alone in his hotel room, police said there would be no further criminal investigation.
According to MacDonald, it’s not unusual for such probes to go deeper.
The lawyer says he has defended alleged drug dealers brought in for questioning under similar circumstances.
“If they were somehow able to confirm who the source was, and they charged that individual, even if it was a simple trafficking charge… it would be what we call an aggravating aspect of the sentencing,” MacDonald said.
MacDonald says it wouldn’t be difficult for police to go through Monteith’s phone records or speak to neighbourhood informants to track the source of the drugs.
Monteith died in Vancouver at age 31. Here’s a look at Monteith’s career, including his role in the wildly successful TV series Glee. (Danny Moloshok/Reuters)
But Vancouver police has confirmed they won’t try to charge the person who provided Monteith with the drugs.
With files from CBC.