The drug dealer who sold to rapper Mac Miller before his 2018 overdose has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison.
The rapper, born Malcolm McCormick and famously Ariana Grande's ex, died in September 2018 of an overdose after consuming a mix of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol.
Stephen Walter, 49, pleaded guilty to providing Miller with the fentanyl and was given a 17-and-a-half year prison sentence in the US overnight.
Walter had agreed to an exactly 17-year sentence as part of a deal with federal prosecutors last October, but US District Judge Otis D. Wright, II didn't accept the deal, because Walter continued to deal drugs up until his arrest in 2019, and the proposed sentence was below federal guidelines.
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Advertise with NZME."The court has elected not to accept that plea agreement. So, sir, if you want, at this point, you can withdraw your guilty plea and go to trial," Judge Wright said.
"When you continue to engage in this activity even after your activities killed someone, I'm having a tough time not staying within the guidelines."
After a short talk with his lawyer, Wright agreed to the extra half year.
Addressing the court on Monday, before sentencing, Walter apologised for his actions:
"My actions caused a lot of pain, and for that I'm truly remorseful," he said.
"I'm not that type of person who wants to hurt anybody. That's not me. But on the paperwork where it says that I continued to conduct in that kind of behaviour after I knew that there was death, that's not the truth, your honour."
Walter also claimed that he had only sold drugs to a man named Cameron Pettit — who also has charges against him, though his case is still pending — and never knew the drugs were for Miller.
"I dealt with Cameron Pettit, and he led me to believe that he was going to ingest the pills that I sold him," said Walter.
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Advertise with NZME."I'm still taking responsibility for everything that happened, but he never told me it was for another person. He was experienced in using those pills. I thought it was for him — for personal use."
Walter was the second man to be charged in relation to Miller's death — Ryan Reavis, 39, pleaded guilty to a drug distribution charge and was sentenced to nearly 11 years behind bars.
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