A Westwood man, Stephen Walter, was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison on May 16, 2022, for his role in supplying the fentanyl-laced pills that resulted in rapper Mac Miller's death four years ago. Let's look at the article to learn more about what has happened.
According to the US Attorney's Office, Stephen Andrew Walter, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of fentanyl distribution in November 2021.
Walter was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison and five years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright, II on May 16, 2022.
Miller began rapping at the age of 14 and quickly gained a large fan base before signing with the label of fellow Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa. Throughout his career, Miller has released five studio albums and a number of mixtapes.
Just a month before his death, his final album, "Swimming," was released on Warner Records.
Who Is Stephen Walter?
Malcolm James McCormick, 26, was born on September 7, 2018. Walter is one of three people charged with his death.
His personal assistant discovered the actor unconscious in his Studio City, California, home. Miller was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics when they arrived.
Stephen Walter, 46, is accused of supplying Mac Miller with the fentanyl-laced pills that resulted in his death. He was one of three men arrested and charged in the aftermath of Mac Miller's death.
Cameron James Pettit, 28, and Ryan Michael Reavis, 36, are the other two men. Reavis agreed to plead guilty to supplying Pettit with counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills on Wednesday, November 9, 2021.
According to Reavis, he allegedly distributed the pills under Stephen's supervision. After being charged with supplying narcotics that resulted in Mac's death, Stephen initially pleaded not guilty.
In October, however, he changed his plea to guilty.
JUST IN: Stephen Walter, one of the drug dealers involved with Mac Miller’s overdose, just received a 17 year sentence 🙏 pic.twitter.com/bbbyDmwVzq
— RapTV (@Rap) May 16, 2022
Was He Behind The Rapper Mac Miller's Death?
Miller tested positive for fentanyl, cocaine, and alcohol during a toxicology examination. Police launched an investigation into how Miller obtained the drugs right away.
They examined his text messages, which revealed that he contacted Pettit and requested Percocet pills. Pettit then contacted Walter and requested "10 blues," which is slang for Percocet. Walter then directed Reavis to deliver the drugs to Miller.
The drugs were delivered to the rapper just two days before his death on September 7, 2018. According to law enforcement sources, he will accept responsibility for one count of fentanyl distribution.
According to the plea agreement filed in California, Stephen was aware that the counterfeit oxycodone pills contained fentanyl and that they were being given to him.
8 years ago today, Mac Miller released “Faces”, the greatest mixtape of all time pic.twitter.com/C8KeEVUqGn
— Clo (@_c_l_o__) May 11, 2022
Did He Go To Jail?
Walter was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison and five years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright, II on Monday, May 17, 2022.
Prosecutors have asked the judge to sentence Walter to 204 months in prison since accepting the plea deal. However, because Walter was still dealing even after pleading guilty in 2021, the judge extended his sentence by six months.
Rolling Stone said Walter addressed the court on Monday in Los Angeles, saying he was "truly remorseful" for his actions.
Two more people were also charged. Ryan Reavis, 39, pleaded guilty to the distribution charge and received a nearly 11-year prison sentence in April. Cameron Pettit, 30, of West Hollywood, is being prosecuted.
According to documents filed in federal court in Los Angeles, the pills traveled from Walter to Reavis, who then supplied the counterfeit oxycodone pills to the third defendant.
