The victim was Petra (43 years old). The drug was injected into her body by her friend Martin B. The regional court in Ostrava sentenced him to 11 and a half years in a prison with increased security. In addition to him, the woman who brought the fentanyl was also sentenced to two years in prison. Both appealed against the verdict to the Supreme Court in Olomouc.
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Although Martin B. admitted that he administered the drug intravenously to his partner, he did not feel guilty for her death. According to him, her drunkenness played a significant role. Petra had almost 4.5 percent of alcohol in her blood. He repeated his objections before the appeals panel, which has now made a final decision.
After considering all the evidence and circumstances, the High Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the original judgment in its entirety.
“The defendant is responsible for the death of the victim who administered a dose of fentanyl. A significant cause of death was fentanyl. It didn’t have to be the only cause, but it was a cause significant enough for the defendant to be responsible for it,” said Supreme Court spokesman Stanislav Cik, adding that although alcohol also played a role, fentanyl was the main one. “The court of first instance and the court of appeal agreed on that,” said the spokesman.
She seized the fentanyl
The court also dealt with the responsibility and the share of the woman who secured the fentanyl and handed it over to Martin B. “As for the defendant, the appeals court believes that the trial court did not correctly establish her responsibility for the victim’s death. The defendant assumed that the man had taken the entire dose of fentanyl,” said Cik, adding that the two-year sentence imposed by the regional court is reasonable.
The decision is final and there is no appeal against it. Only an appeal to the Supreme Court comes into consideration, but it does not have a suspensory effect.
In Uhlírska Street
The tragedy took place last year on Sunday, July 23, in Bruntála, specifically in apartment number 33 on the 6th floor of a building in Uhlířské street. The man administered the substance intravenously to the woman. The victim was heavily intoxicated at the time.
“He was supposed to take part of the mixture intravenously from the syringe. He also administered an undetermined part of the mixture intravenously to his companion, aware of her current strong intoxication. As a result, the victim suffered a combined alcohol and fentanyl intoxication and her subsequent death,” said the prosecutor.
Their acquaintance got the drug. It was a counter service for the possibility of sleeping in the apartment. She brought fentanyl in the form of a transdermal patch wrapped in the original packaging. She prepared the substance for intravenous administration. She drew the mixture of the fateful day into two syringes. She used one herself. The second was taken by Martin B., who also injected part of the drug into his partner, who died. According to his version, he did not force fentanyl on her, she said she wanted to try it herself.
“I feel guilty, but I don’t agree with the legal qualification. “I don’t feel a causal connection between the death of the girlfriend and the use of fentanyl,” he said.
Another death
Recently, the Ostrava court closed another fentanyl case, this time from Opava. The defendant was Petr F. from Opava. He and a friend were chewing fentanyl patches. Friend choked on vomit. “He repeatedly used the transdermal patch orally in small portions, resulting in combined intoxication and subsequent death. The immediate cause of death was suffocation by aspiration of vomit from fentanyl poisoning,” the judge said.
The Senate sentenced the defendant to fifteen years in prison. The woman from whom he obtained the fentanyl patch was tried along with him. She confessed to supplying the patch and entered into a plea agreement with the prosecutor. Thanks to her, she escaped six years in prison. She also faced 10 to 18 years.
