Pubdate: Wed, 21 Feb 2007
Source: Spartanburg Herald Journal (SC)
Copyright: 2007 The Spartanburg Herald-Journal
Contact:  http://www.goupstate.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/977
Author: Rachel E. Leonard, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

MAN ACCUSED OF GIVING FATAL DOSE OF HEROIN

A man who police say injected a friend with a deadly dose of heroin 
and left her body in a Spartanburg motel room for at least three days 
has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Spartanburg Public Safety officers say Michael Hughey Parker, 36, 
continued to shoot heroin and was in and out of room 229 at the 
Villager Inn in the days after Kimberly Lee McFalls, 40, of Pauline 
died of an overdose. Police found McFalls' body on Nov. 13, 2006, 
lying on the floor of the East Main Street motel and covered in a blanket.

Parker was passed out on a bed when police arrived. Spartanburg Capt. 
Randy Hardy said Parker admitted giving McFalls heroin and failing to 
get help after she died, but police do not think he intended to hurt the woman.

"He was an individual that, if you will, was kind of strung out on 
heroin, and this happened as a result of that," Hardy said.

Parker, of 190 Love Springs Road, Cowpens, was also charged with 
distribution of heroin. He was arrested Tuesday and placed in the 
Spartanburg County Detention Facility.

The decision to file the charges was brought after police reviewed a 
final autopsy report and consulted with the 7th Circuit Solicitor's 
Office, Hardy said.

"Our heart goes out to the family to have something like this happen 
to a loved one the way it did," he said. "And our interest is, first 
of all, realizing there was a crime committed here and bringing the 
perpetrator to justice."

According to the State Law Enforcement Division, Parker has been 
convicted of multiple drug offenses, fraud and property crimes in the past.

McFalls left behind two children and two grandchildren.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman