Parent Gets Prison Sentence for Drug Death of Her Child

Gets Prison Sentence for Drug Death of Her Child

In the past when someone died of a drug overdose criminal charges were not filed. Recently, that changed when Debra Clair was prosecuted for injecting her 15 year old daughter with heroin and then leaving her to die of a drug overdose. Not only did a jury convict Debra Clair of Manslaughter, but the jury agreed with the prosecution that Debra Clair was not worthy of probation but deserved a 15 year term in prison.

On April 27, 2001, Tiffany Clair was released to the care of her mother after spending 30 days in a state mental hospital for treatment after a suicide attempt. Seven days later she was shooting heroin with the assistance of her mother, Debra Clair, and her mother’s ex- boyfriend’s son, Bradley Waltermire. There was evidence that Clair paid for the heroin. When the mother left, Tiffany was unconscious on the couch in the living room. Several hours later when she returned from her shopping trip for drugs Tiffany was dead. Although the defense sought to convince the jury that Tiffany was responsible for her own death the jury disagreed. The jury found Clair guilty of manslaughter.

The jury heard evidence that Tiffany and her mother had been abusing drugs together since the child was 12 years old. The jury rejected the mother's plea for probation and assessed a sentence of 15 years in prison.