ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – An Atlantic Beach woman has become the latest person in Florida to be arrested under the state’s Drug-Induced Homicide Law.
Taira Mrochek, 38, was charged with manslaughter and remains in the Duval County jail.
According to Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office narcotics overdose death detectives, Mrochek was responsible for someone else’s fatal overdose.
News4JAX Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney said the case against Mrochek is a good example of two possible scenarios with fatal consequences.
Scenario number one involves a person not knowing what drug they bought on the street and consumed. Scenario number two would involve the person selling the drug likely not knowing what’s in the drug their selling.
“There are no quality checks. There are no checks for what the drug is cut with. The users who take it end up dead. The person who supplied them or sold it might not have known it was cut with whatever, but that doesn’t matter. Part of what this law does is hold the people responsible,” Hackney said
Although there are redactions in Mrochek’s arrest report, it clearly states she had been under investigation by JSO narcotics overdose death detectives, and that the victim in this case died from fentanyl that was sold by Mrochek.
The Drug-Induced Homicide Law allows a person to be prosecuted for one of three charges associated with fatal overdoses:
- First Degree murder – meaning the defendant knowingly supplied a victim with a deadly substance with the intent to kill.
- Second degree murder- meaning the defendant knowingly sold a victim a dangerous substance, but there was no intent to kill the victim.
- Manslaughter – meaning there was no intent to kill, but the defendant recklessly provided a victim with a dangerous drug that resulted in a fatal overdose.
The caveat to prosecuting someone under Florida’s Drug-Induced Homicide Law is that prosecutors have to prove that a specific drug sold to the victim was the exact cause of death. When a victim has more than one drug in their system, it can be harder for prosecutors to prove a single substance caused the victim’s death.
Hackney said tracing deadly drugs back to a suspect and filing charges against that suspect comes from a lengthy investigation.
“They look at the victim’s cell phone. They look at the victim’s history to find out what they’ve done. They’re interviewing their friends and witnesses, people they’ve been hanging around with,” Hackney said.
If convicted, Mrochek could face up to 15 years in prison.
