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Women face charges in pharmaceutical death
Tiofila Santillana's July 23 U.S. District Court indictment was unsealed Monday after her 22-year-old co-defendant.
by Bob Campbell
Midland Reporter-Telegram
Women face charges in pharmaceutical death
From Staff Reports
A 46-year-old Midland woman could be sentenced to life in prison for allegedly giving a narcotic to a 21-year-old man who lost consciousness on April 10 and died 13 days later at Midland Memorial Hospital.
Tiofila Santillana's July 23 U.S. District Court indictment was unsealed Monday after her 22-year-old co-defendant, Emily Micah Suckarieh of Midland, was arrested in San Antonio by agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, federal authorities reported.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Klassen said Santillana's range of punishment, if she is found guilty, is from a mandatory minimum of 20 years to life in prison for allegedly supplying a controlled substance that caused the death of 21-year-old Brandon Moore.
Suckarieh's possible punishment, a maximum of four years, is much less because she allegedly gave Moore the anti-anxiety drug Xanax at a local residence while Santillana is accused of purveying methadone, which is classified as being more dangerous, the prosecutor explained.
"In combination, those drugs are lethal because the Xanax elongates the effects of the methadone," Klassen said. "We're going to start working these overdose deaths aggressively."
He said both defendants were being held without bond pending detention hearings.
"Friends of Brandon Moore couldn't rouse him from a couch on April 10 and took him to the hospital," said Klassen. "He was placed on a ventilator in the intensive care unit and died April 23 of acute mixed drug intoxication. His brain and organs were starved of oxygen."
From Staff Reports
A 46-year-old Midland woman could be sentenced to life in prison for allegedly giving a narcotic to a 21-year-old man who lost consciousness on April 10 and died 13 days later at Midland Memorial Hospital.
Tiofila Santillana's July 23 U.S. District Court indictment was unsealed Monday after her 22-year-old co-defendant, Emily Micah Suckarieh of Midland, was arrested in San Antonio by agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, federal authorities reported.
Assistant U.S. Attorney John Klassen said Santillana's range of punishment, if she is found guilty, is from a mandatory minimum of 20 years to life in prison for allegedly supplying a controlled substance that caused the death of 21-year-old Brandon Moore.
Suckarieh's possible punishment, a maximum of four years, is much less because she allegedly gave Moore the anti-anxiety drug Xanax at a local residence while Santillana is accused of purveying methadone, which is classified as being more dangerous, the prosecutor explained.
"In combination, those drugs are lethal because the Xanax elongates the effects of the methadone," Klassen said. "We're going to start working these overdose deaths aggressively."
He said both defendants were being held without bond pending detention hearings.
"Friends of Brandon Moore couldn't rouse him from a couch on April 10 and took him to the hospital," said Klassen. "He was placed on a ventilator in the intensive care unit and died April 23 of acute mixed drug intoxication. His brain and organs were starved of oxygen."
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of mywesttexas.com.
MAMAorg wrote on Jul 31, 2008 1:04 AM:
" Methadone is the #1 killer of a prescription narcotic in this country. Unlike nay other narcotic on the market today, one pill can kill and many were under a doctors care and monitoring. Unfortunately, individuals have no clue they are going to die when they consume this drug even in small amounts. People (even doctors) who are responsible for these deaths need to be held accountable. There is a false sense of safety that goes along with prescription drugs because they come from doctors, something schools fail to teach. To blame the victim is ignorance when lethal and unstable drugs are flooding our streets. methadone kills more victims then heroin so why is it being handed out like a typical aspirin by supposedly well educated people (doctors) putting it in the hands of those who will do harm. This drug is being diverted by clinic and pain management. It has now become a popular drug of choice on our streets and this must end. Thousands are dying yearly and you do not have to abuse it to die. Help stop the madness, Just say NO even to your doctor.
Mothers Agaisnt Medical Abuse. Org
Help Stop Rx, Methadone Deaths & Abuse "
Mothers Agaisnt Medical Abuse. Org
Help Stop Rx, Methadone Deaths & Abuse "
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JustME wrote on Jul 30, 2008 11:54 AM: