Music
Slipknot bassist's doctor charged with involuntary manslaughter after being linked to 7 more deaths
by Tyler Munro
September 6, 2012
The doctor who allegedly prescribed the painkillers that led to Slipknot bassist and founding member Paul Gray’s 2010 overdose has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after being linked to 7 more deaths.
The Des Moines Register reports that Dr. Daniel Baldi has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of involuntary manslaughter, with his attorney calling the charges “unprecedented.”
“Unexpected deaths can occur in severe, chronic pain patients unrelated to medical treatment,” said attorney Guy Cook to the Associated Press. “This is especially true with patients who are drug addicts or drug abusers.”
The charging documents allege that Dr. Baldi “did unintentionally cause the death of Paul Gray by the commission of an act likely to cause death or serious injury, to-wit, continually wrote high-dose prescription narcotics to a known drug addict.” Paul Gray had been taking pain killers for at least five years prior to his death, though an autopsy did reveal that he was suffering from a “significant” heart disease.
