Pubdate: Sat, 29 Jul 2006
Source: Janesville Gazette (WI)
Copyright: 2006 Bliss Communications, Inc
Contact: http://www.gazetteextra.com/contactus/lettertoeditor.asp
Website: http://www.gazetteextra.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1356
Author: Mike Heine
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

TRIO ACCUSED IN HEROIN DEATH

ELKHORN -- A brother, sister and the man suspected of dealing them 
heroin are in the Walworth County Jail facing charges of first-degree 
reckless homicide.

Rebecca H. Monroe, a 37-year-old Elkhorn woman, died in her home 
April 3 from a drug overdose, said Dr. Lynda Biedrzyski, a Waukesha 
County medical examiner, according to a criminal complaint.

Devis K. Osinski, Ladine L. Osinski and Jermal A. Johnson are accused 
of being the terminal end of a supply chain that delivered heroin to Monroe.

They each face up to 40 years in prison and fines totaling $100,000 
if convicted.

According to the complaint:

Devis and Ladine drove to Illinois and purchased a gram of heroin 
from Johnson, 36, of Zion, Ill.

Johnson handed the heroin to Ladine, 37, of W1106 Celadine Road, Pell Lake.

She handed it to her brother, 42, also of W1106 Celadine Road.

Devis took the heroin to Monroe's apartment April 3. He told police 
he had injected her with heroin before, but didn't inject her with 
the drug that night, according to the complaint.

Elkhorn police found Monroe dead in her bathroom about 2 a.m. April 4 
after Devis called 911.

District Attorney Phil Koss said supplying heroin is enough to 
warrant the reckless homicide charges against the three, even if none 
of them injected her with the drug.

An autopsy revealed morphine in Monroe's blood and five needle 
punctures within bruising on her left breast.

Morphine is a byproduct of heroin after it breaks down in the 
bloodstream, Coroner John Griebel said.

Devis told police that he has previously performed CPR on Monroe when 
she used heroin because she would sometimes quit breathing, according 
to the complaint.

Koss said the case is the first use of Wisconsin's Len Bias law in 
Walworth County. Bias was a former University of Maryland basketball 
player who died of a cocaine overdose in 1986.

The Len Bias law allows prosecutors to charge homicide against people 
who provide drugs that cause overdose deaths.

All three suspects remain in custody on $200,000 bonds issued Thursday.

Devis Osinski was in custody since April 5 on a probation hold. 
Ladine Osinski was brought in June 9 for bail jumping. Johnson was in 
the Kenosha County Jail since April 21 on three heroin delivery charges.

Koss said the reckless homicide charges had to wait for autopsy and 
toxicology reports.
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