‘Full House’ star will only speak with officials on condition of immunity
By Matthew B. Zeidman
NEW YORK (RUSHPRNEWS) 8/6/08 –Though the initial shock of actor Heath Ledger’s death has worn off since his untimely passing on Jan. 22 of a prescription drug overdose, there are still unanswered questions regarding the tragedy that investigators hope close friend Mary-Kate Olsen can answer.
Though the former “Full House” actress has spoken with officials regarding the day in question before, she refused twice through her lawyer to discuss the possible source of painkillers taken by Ledger with the Drug Enforcement Administration without immunity from prosecution, the Associated Press reported.
“We have provided the government with relevant information,” Olsen’s attorney, Michael C. Miller, said in a statement released yesterday, “including facts in the chronology of events surrounding Mr. Ledger’s death and the fact that Ms. Olsen does not know the source of the drugs Mr. Ledger consumed.”
Because of Miller’s reiteration that Olsen had no knowledge as to the source of the drugs, it was unclear if Olsen’s request for immunity, reported to AP by an anonymous government source, was related to the drugs’ origin, some of which Ledger was not prescribed. Non-painkillers taken by Ledger, such as prescription anti-anxiety and sleeping pills, were legally obtained through the “Casanova” actor’s doctors.
Though Olsen was not in New York at the time, a masseuse who discovered Ledger unresponsive in his Manhattan apartment spoke with the Hollywood starlet three times by telephone before calling paramedics, prompting her to send local security personnel to the building, police confirmed to AP.
Ledger’s penultimate film, “The Dark Knight,” was released on July 18 to overwhelmingly positive critical reviews and has grossed nearly $600 million worldwide as of Aug. 3, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. Olsen is currently starring in “The Wackness,” a film set in 1994 New York, also featuring Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck and Olivia Thirlby among others.
NEWS SOURCE HOLLYWOOD TODAY.NET