Heath Ledger - News Accounts

[oilgun]

Pauly Shore said Mary Kate Olson was EVIL when asked by paps to comment shortly after Heath's death.   And he meant it.  I don't think I've ever heard anyone say something nice about that skanky freak.

[LauraGigs]

Why taking so long?  IIRC, it was determined that Heath had died about an hour before he was found by the masseuse.  (And even if that weren't the case, Mary-Kate —in LA at the time— couldn't have been culpable for his death in any direct way.) 

So since she wasn't suspected of direct responsibility for his death, it wasn't necessary to do this in the course of the immediate investigation.  But since that's over, a larger, more general investigation is underway of how he got the drugs, etc.  So now is the time to subpoena her.

[Fran]

Thanks for the explanation, Laura.  Now it makes perfect sense.

[MilAn]

The sad fact is, no matter what is or is not uncovered/discovered, what is done can not be undone. I always found it curious that the first call was not a 911 one.
Personally I wish they would let it rest, as I fear what could be discovered may be more damaging to Heaths' reputation, as the masses once again speculate whether he was self medicating or not. For me I would rather just let him RIP.

I agree!

[BelAir]

Federal investigators drop Ledger drug inquiry By TOM HAYS, Associated Press Writer

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080807/ap_on_en_ot/heath_ledger

I can't help but blame yahoo (and whoever else) for reviving an old wound, when maybe there was so reason to do so in the first place.

Who knows.

[Fran]

And from the New York Post:

FREE PASS
MARY-KATE OFF THE HOOK AS FEDS CLOSE LEDGER PROBE
By MURRAY WEISS, Criminal Justice Editor

Last updated: 8:47 pm
August 6, 2008
Posted: 8:20 pm
August 6, 2008

Twin troll Mary-Kate Olsen, whose role in the accidental drug overdose death of actor Heath Ledger has been vexingly unclear, has been given another free pass from an official inquiry, the Post has learned.

The Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office closed its probe into Ledger's Jan. 22 death without any charges being filed - and won't enforce a grand jury subpoena against the diminutive 22-year-old actress, a source told The Post today.

"They're closing down the case – at least their part of it," the source said of the agency's extraordinary move.

The decision by the U.S. prosecutors will force the Drug Enforcement Administration to find another agency to investigate if it wants to get to the bottom of Ledger's accidental drug overdose death in Manhattan, the source said.

It's a huge victory for Mary-Kate and her lawyer.

The DEA was trying to find the source of the drugs that killed Ledger; most were legally prescribed in El Paso, Texas, and Los Angeles, sources said.

Everybody connected with Ledger and his death has been interviewed and cooperated - with the exception of Mary-Kate Olsen.
Instead, she's declined to cooperate and has insisted on immunity in return for talking to the feds.

The source said the feds might approach the city's Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor.

The NYPD also gave Mary-Kate a skate.

Once the death was ruled an accidental overdose, cops decided not to try to talk to Olsen - despite the fact that the original panicked calls from Ledger's apartment had gone out to her, and that she was dating him at the time.

It was Mary-Kate, who was in LA at the time, who called her bodyguards and had them race to the scene to see what happened.

The cops felt that they had all the information they needed to deal with the ruling in the death, the source said - but the decision surprised many.

The DEA was not so bashful and opened an investigation to see where the drugs came from.

The DEA even obtained a grand jury subpoena, but hadn't served it, hoping she and her lawyer would speak to them in a less confrontational atmosphere.

[Sandy]

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/entertainment/7546599.stm

Ledger inquiry 'is to be dropped'

US investigators are to drop a criminal case into how Heath Ledger obtained two powerful painkillers that contributed to his death, an official has said.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) had suspected oxycodone and hydrocodone found in Ledger's system were obtained with false prescriptions.

But an official in New York told the AP news agency prosecutors now thought there was not "a viable target".

Ledger was found dead at his home in January after an accidental overdose.

DEA subpoena

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Ledger's friend, actress Mary-Kate Olsen, was demanding immunity from prosecution before she would speak to the DEA about the death and the actor's drug use.

At the time, Olsen's lawyer Michael C Miller said his client had told the authorities all she knew and that she "does not know the source of the drugs Mr Ledger consumed".


The actress was the first person contacted by the masseuse who discovered Ledger's body.

The DEA had obtained a subpoena that could have forced Olsen to speak out.

But the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told AP that was no longer valid because the case was being dropped.

The case could still be revived if evidence of a crime emerged, the official added.

Other potential witnesses had all answered questions voluntarily, including doctors, Ledger's ex-girlfriend Michelle Williams, and anyone who was in his apartment around the time of his death, the official said.

Other drugs taken by Ledger, including sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication, were prescribed legally by doctors in Texas and California.

Police say the masseuse who discovered Ledger's body spent nine minutes making three calls to Olsen before dialling 911 for help, then rang the actress a fourth time after paramedics arrived.

At some point during the calls, Olsen, who was in California at the time, summoned her personal security guards to the apartment to help.

[Ellemeno]

SHE’S FREE! DEA IS NO MATCH FOR MARY-KATE’S OLSEN POWER
Thursday August 07th 2008, 8:47 pm



Mary-Kate Olsen already issued a statement on Monday claiming she’s told all she knows about the shady circumstances surrounding Heath Ledger’s death. As of yesterday, the Feds remained unconvinced. They were so unconvinced that they subpoenaed our girl MK, requiring her to testify in front of a grand jury. Now, throughout the past few days we remained neutral like Switzerland, but we’re happy to report that MK’s off the hook!

Hooray, because we love us some MK. For starters, sister has personal style coming out her yum-yum; she rocked her role in The Wackness; and who can forget Full House? We know we can’t. Even though the best show of our childhood ended over ten years ago, we still watch the reruns. Michelle Tanner has come so far since the end of Full House in 1995…and so have we! (And by ‘we,’ we mean society in general.) To think that back in 1995, MK would have had a hard time finding eco-friendly clothing that didn’t look like a droopy sandbag. Now, while MK herself dabbles in fashion design with sister Ashley, she can purchase green goodies from the likes of fashion giants Stella McCartney and Rogan Gregory. And while we can’t necessarily afford all the eco-friendly fashion we covet, we love that MK shows us how to repurpose our big bro’s hand-me-down plaid flannel from 1995.

http://www.beanstockd.com/beanstockd/2008/08/07/she’s-free-dea-is-no-match-for-mary-kate’s-olsen-power/1104

[Shakesthecoffecan]

I don't like her. 

[Fran]

I don't like her. 

Me neither.

And I think it's a shame that she will forever be linked to Heath.