No criminal charges will be filed in Prince's death, and evidence shows that the musician thought he was taking a common painkiller instead of a counterfeit pill containing the fentanyl that killed him, a Minnesota prosecutor said Thursday.
Carver County attorney Mark Metz said investigators found no evidence of "any sinister motive" but that some associates had sought to protect Prince's privacy. The lack of criminal charges does not mean that associates did not enable the singer's habits, Metz said, but there's no evidence any of them knew about the fentanyl.
Metz's announcement came just hours after documents revealed that a doctor who was accused of illegally prescribing an opioid for Prince agreed to pay $30,000 US to settle a civil violation of a federal drug law. Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg allegedly wrote a prescription for oxycodone in the name of Prince's bodyguard, intending for the potent painkiller to go Prince. That prescription was not linked to Prince's death.
'We do not have evidence that a specific person provided fentanyl to Prince,' Carver County Attorney Mark Metz, right, announced at a news conference on Thursday. (Jim Mone/Associated Press)
Prince was 57 when he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate on April 21, 2016. His death sparked an international outpouring of grief and prompted a joint investigation by Carver County and U.S. federal authorities.
An autopsy found he died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid far more powerful than heroin. State and federal authorities have been investigating the source of the fentanyl for nearly two years. Metz's announcement effectively closed the case.
After the announcement, the U.S. Attorney's Office said that federal prosecutors had no credible evidence that would lead to federal criminal charges. A law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press that the federal investigation is now inactive unless new information emerges. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the federal case remains open.
Federal prosecutors and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration alleged Schulenberg, a family physician who saw Prince at least twice before he died, violated the Controlled Substances Act when he wrote a prescription in the name of someone else on April 14, 2016.
The settlement, dated Monday, does not name Prince or make any references to the Prince investigation. However, search warrants say Schulenberg told authorities he prescribed oxycodone to Prince on April 14 and put it under the name of Prince's bodyguard and close friend, Kirk Johnson, "for Prince's privacy."
Schulenberg's attorney, Amy Conners, has disputed that and did so again Thursday, saying that Schulenberg settled the case to avoid the expense and uncertain outcome of litigation.
Carver County attorney Mark Metz said investigators found no evidence of "any sinister motive" but that some associates had sought to protect Prince's privacy. The lack of criminal charges does not mean that associates did not enable the singer's habits, Metz said, but there's no evidence any of them knew about the fentanyl.
Metz's announcement came just hours after documents revealed that a doctor who was accused of illegally prescribing an opioid for Prince agreed to pay $30,000 US to settle a civil violation of a federal drug law. Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg allegedly wrote a prescription for oxycodone in the name of Prince's bodyguard, intending for the potent painkiller to go Prince. That prescription was not linked to Prince's death.
Prince was 57 when he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park estate on April 21, 2016. His death sparked an international outpouring of grief and prompted a joint investigation by Carver County and U.S. federal authorities.
An autopsy found he died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid far more powerful than heroin. State and federal authorities have been investigating the source of the fentanyl for nearly two years. Metz's announcement effectively closed the case.
After the announcement, the U.S. Attorney's Office said that federal prosecutors had no credible evidence that would lead to federal criminal charges. A law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press that the federal investigation is now inactive unless new information emerges. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the federal case remains open.
Federal prosecutors and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration alleged Schulenberg, a family physician who saw Prince at least twice before he died, violated the Controlled Substances Act when he wrote a prescription in the name of someone else on April 14, 2016.
The settlement, dated Monday, does not name Prince or make any references to the Prince investigation. However, search warrants say Schulenberg told authorities he prescribed oxycodone to Prince on April 14 and put it under the name of Prince's bodyguard and close friend, Kirk Johnson, "for Prince's privacy."
Schulenberg's attorney, Amy Conners, has disputed that and did so again Thursday, saying that Schulenberg settled the case to avoid the expense and uncertain outcome of litigation.
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