Murder Charge Upheld in Pennsylvania Inhalant Related Crash

 Via the Centre Daily Times in PA: 

 A judge ruled that the charge of murder will be upheld in the case of the 22 year old woman who used inhalants behind the wheel, resulting in a fatal car crash. 

In 2012 the woman went shopping at Wal-Mart, purchased two cans of computer dusting spray, and huffed them with her boyfriend. Minutes later she drove away and then again huffed from the product while at a red light. Shortly after her car crossed the center line and crashed into a car, killing the male driver.

The judge ruled that the woman’s behavior after the accident showed “abject failure” of responsibility saying that while the man was dying on the side of the road, the defendant never tried to help him. Instead, she called her mother to come pick up electronics from her car. 

Charges against the woman include: felony counts of murder in the third degree, aggravated assault, homicide while DUI, aggravated assault while DUI and homicide by vehicle; misdemeanor counts of DUI, involuntary manslaughter, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and illegal use of solvents; and six summary traffic offenses..

Man Addicted To Huffing Gasoline Sets Nephew On Fire

Via The Daily Times in New Mexico

A 21-year-old man alleges that his uncle set him on fire in 2009, leaving him nearly deaf in one ear. He “sustained burns on 30 percent of his body, including his arms, neck and head.” The nephew claims that once he told his uncle to move out of their apartment because of his habit of huffing gasoline, his uncle threw gasoline on him “and it started burning.” The nephew was rushed to the hospital for treatment; skin graphs were not necessary.

Thirty minutes before the uncle doused his nephew that day, he threw gasoline on his girlfriend while the two were refilling a sports drink bottle with gasoline at a gas station. The girlfriend claims he threatened to set her on fire after she told him she was leaving him. The uncle is charged with attempted murder in the second degree, third-degree felony assault with intent to commit a violent felony, third-degree felony aggravated battery against a household member, fourth-degree felony false imprisonment and third-degree felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.

Serial Paint Huffer Kills 73-Year Old Man

From WYFF4.com in Boiling Springs, South Carolina:

A 50 year-old man who has been “convicted nearly two dozen times of huffing paint” was sentenced earlier this month for killing a 73-year old man.

The 73-year old man and his wife had befriended the 50 year-old male months ago, offering him food and shelter. However, one night, the man came home in a delusional state and begin cursing in a telephone conversation. When the homeowner questioned him about his language, the man “knocked him to the floor and bent his legs back over his head and crushed him with his weight.” The man suffered a broken neck and died from his injury two weeks later.

The man’s wife found her husband when she came home and called 911. The man was still conscious and able to identify his attacker. The 50 year-old was arrested and will be required to “serve more than 25 years of his prison sentence before he is eligible for release.”

Grocery Store Sued For Wrongful Death

From The Dothan Eagle in Alabama

Earlier this month a Dothan Circuit Court judge ruled that a full trial would be necessary in order to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed against a local grocery store. City resident Mary Downing filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Southern Family Markets grocer in February 2007, holding the business directly responsible for the death of her husband. On January 13, 2007 Larry Downing was struck and killed in the parking lot of Southern Family Markets by a female driver who was ‘huffing’ behind the wheel.

Downing’s suit (which also holds the City of Dothan liable) contends that a store supervisor knew the driver was under the influence of inhalants and even witnessed the woman “take a hit of computer duster” while driving through the grocery store parking lot- just moments before the fatal crash.

While the legal dispute between Downing and Southern Family Markets will most likely culminate into a civil trial in the upcoming year, the driver responsible for the accident pleaded guilty to the murder of Larry Downing and was sentenced to 25 years in prison last month.

Nitrous Oxide Found at Murder Scene

From Fairbanks Daily News-Miner in Alaska

Officers say substance abuse may have played a role in the deaths of two Alaskan residents earlier this month. A 38-year-old male was fatally shot by a State Trooper after he aggressively lunged toward an officer with a knife. Police were dispatched to the man's residence following a 911 call made from within the home. According to reports, officers discovered the fatally stabbed body of a 66-year-old woman inside the home, identified as the man’s mother. Police believe inhalants were a factor in the brutal murder of the 66-year-old, as officers discovered thousands of small nitrous oxide canisters scattered throughout the home. The investigation is ongoing.

Defense Claims 'Huffing' Led to Murder

From The Record Searchlight in Redding, California

A California jury has yet to reach a verdict in the murder trial of 28-year-old Scott Varner, who has admitted to kidnapping and killing a 35-year-old woman nearly four years ago. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

Varner, who plead guilty to the November 2005 murder of Jeanette Mariedth reportedly “suffers from severe brain damage as a result of his past drug use,” according to defense attorneys. The defense claims that the plaintiff did “not intend to kill” the victim- citing a long history of inhalant abuse as the culprit behind their client’s impaired mental functioning and irrational behavior. Varner began ‘huffing’ inhalants when he was just 12 years old. Jurors have yet to reach a conclusion as to the validity of the defense’s claims.