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Prince David J. Phillip

Prosecutor won't file criminal charges in connection with Prince's death

A doctor will pay a fine.

THE PROSECUTOR IN the Minnesota county where Prince died said today that no criminal charges will be filed in the musician’s death, effectively ending the state’s two-year investigation into how Prince got the fentanyl that killed him.

Carver County Attorney Mark Metz’s announcement on no criminal charges came just hours after documents revealed that a doctor who was accused of illegally prescribing an opioid for Prince had agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a federal civil violation. Prosecutors alleged Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg wrote a prescription for oxycodone in the name of Prince’s bodyguard, intending it to go Prince.

Metz said the evidence shows Prince thought he was taking Vicodin, not fentanyl. He said there’s no evidence any person associated with Prince knew he possessed any counterfeit pill containing fentanyl.

Prince was 57 when he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park studio compound on April 21, 2016. His death sparked a national outpouring of grief, and prompted a joint investigation by Carver County and federal authorities.

An autopsy found Prince died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin. State and federal authorities have been investigating the source of the fentanyl for nearly two years, and have still not determined where the drug came from or how Prince got it.

While Carver County said it was ending its role in the case, the US Attorney’s Office had no immediate comment on the status of its investigation.

But a law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press that the federal investigation is now inactive unless new information comes forward. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the case remains open.

Federal prosecutors and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration alleged Schulenberg, a family physician who saw Prince at least twice before he died, violated the Controlled Substances Act when he wrote a prescription in the name of someone else on April 14, 2016.

The settlement, dated Monday, does not name Prince or make any references to the Prince investigation. However, search warrants previously released say Schulenberg told authorities he prescribed oxycodone to Prince on April 14 and put it under the name of Prince’s bodyguard and close friend, Kirk Johnson, “for Prince’s privacy”.

Schulenberg’s attorney, Amy Conners, has disputed that and did so again today, saying that Schulenberg settled the case to avoid the expense and uncertain outcome of litigation.

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    Mute tuco
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 9:39 PM

    Michael Keaton and Christian bale were the best Batman’s.

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    Mute Rocky
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 9:41 PM

    @tuco: Batfleck was a beast

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    Mute HectorPickaxe
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 9:44 PM

    @tuco: Adam West

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    Mute D'oh
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 9:48 PM

    @HectorPickaxe: Pure West.

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    Mute Dave O'Keeffe
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 9:55 PM

    @Rocky: at 6’4″ the tallest batman by some distance

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    Mute Wayne Connor
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 10:36 PM

    @tuco: Christopher Nolan’s trilogy will never be equalled

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    Mute Pat Kelly
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    Jun 25th 2020, 4:17 PM

    @tuco: val Kilmer was bad but not as bad as George Clooney he nearly ended the franchise

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    Mute Peter Cavey
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 9:43 PM

    Does anyone remember the Batman merchandise store that opened on the side of Stephen’s green shopping center for the original? I was only a kid back then but my dad took me one day and it was like Disneyland.

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    Mute Mark Byrne
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 11:48 PM

    @Peter Cavey: yes. Loved it.

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    Mute Fergal McNamara
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    Jun 24th 2020, 8:37 AM

    @Mark Byrne: I bought a mug. Loved that mug.

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    Mute Ruth
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 10:04 PM

    Princes batdance, underrated but terrific ! The world needs an enema, love that line

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    Mute Nomad
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 9:43 PM

    The Riddler was on to something there!

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    Mute ger ronan
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 10:19 PM

    Got my first shift in the local cinema 31 years ago ……. loved those batman films……

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    Mute John Moloney
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 11:51 PM

    Michelle Pfeiffer definitely the best catwoman so good i can’t remember who played batman in the film

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    Mute MyBrokenKnees
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 10:20 PM

    Conroy is Batman.

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    Mute Xanadu Marmalade
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    Jun 24th 2020, 8:11 AM

    @MyBrokenKnees: This

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    Mute Rob Ó Doibhilin
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 11:37 PM

    Your answer to the Mr. Freeze question is wrong

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    Mute Mark Byrne
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 11:49 PM

    The Mr Freeze one is wrong.

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    Mute Gavin Conran
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    Jun 23rd 2020, 11:05 PM

    How well do you know the early batman movies – OK, ill play.

    Question one – WTF?

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    Mute Dominic Kenneally
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    Jul 11th 2020, 2:16 AM

    Considering the Mr.Freeze question is wrong it would have been 8

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