Second guilty plea entered in Mac Miller’s fentanyl overdose
An Arizona man charged for his role in supplying counterfeit pharmaceutical pills that led to the fatal overdose of rapper Mac Miller in 2018 has pleaded guilty in the case, U.S. prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Ryan Reavis, 38, is one of three men charged with providing the drugs that killed the music artist.
Reavis pleaded guilty to distributing counterfeit oxycodone pills with fentanyl. He is the second person to enter a guilty plea in the death of Miller, who was found at his Studio City home Sept. 7, 2018. The 26-year-old died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, along with cocaine and alcohol, according coroner reports.
Reavis, who previously lived in West Los Angeles and moved to Lake Havasu, Ariz., admitted he knew the pills contained the powerful opioid fentanyl or some other controlled substance, according to his plea agreement. He distributed the pills to Cameron Pettit, 30, of West Hollywood, who then sold the pills to Miller, court records show.
Miller “would not have died from an overdose but for the fentanyl contained in the pills” that he received from Pettit and that Pettit had received from Reavis, according to the plea agreement.
“Mr. Reavis ... is taking responsibility for his role in this incident,” in which he acted as a runner, his attorney, Cori Ferrentino, said. “He is very remorseful for his actions and the tragic loss of life.”
Some prosecutors are pursuing murder charges for dealers linked to fentanyl deaths. But a public defender said such moves are outside the scope of the law.
Miller was best known for his hits “Donald Trump,” “Self Care” and “Programs.” He first garnered attention at the age of 15 in Pittsburgh with a series of mix-tapes and signed his first record deal in 2010.
Miller was posthumously nominated for a Grammy for his last album “Swimming.” His music began to incorporate R&B, jazz and funk, with his rapping showing promise for a talent that was just coming into his own. Miller‘s music also delved into his struggle with depression and drug abuse.
Shortly after his public split with singer Ariana Grande in May 2018, Miller crashed his Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV into a pole. The rapper and two passengers fled the scene in the San Fernando Valley, but he was later arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
Miller’s struggles had played out in the tabloids, particularly his relationship with Grande.
In an interview published in August in Rolling Stone, Miller said that his breakup with Grande was difficult but that he was moving on with a new album.
“I’m just being real. That’s good. Now I have space for me. And that’s great too,” he told the magazine.
He also pushed back against concerns over his drug use.
“If a bunch of people think I am a huge drug addict, OK. Cool. What can I really do?” he said. “Have I done drugs? Yeah. But am I a drug addict? No.”
After news of Miller’s death, Pettit anxiously messaged a friend on Instagram, prosecutors said.
“Most likely I will die in jail,” Pettit wrote, according to court documents. In the exchange, he said he was going to move to another country and get off the grid.
Reavis is the second person to plead guilty in connection with the death of Miller, whose real name was Malcolm McCormick. Last month, Stephen Walter, 48, pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl, federal prosecutors said. He has agreed to be sentenced to 17 years.
The case against Pettit, who has pleaded not guilty, is pending, according to the Justice Department.
Times staff writers Hannah Fry and Richard Winton contributed to this article.
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