Treating drug overdoses as homicides in Pa.
Pa. leads the nation in prosecuting drug overdose deaths as homicides. Why it may not be doing much to help stop the opioid epidemic.
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Suzanne Yorty lost her fiancee, partner, and father of her children, Ryan Myers, to a drug overdose in 2016. She is shown with her children, Jarryn, 12, and Sophia, 6. Ryan would have turned 32 on May 15. On the table are photos taken on Ryan's 27th birthday in 2013. The family was on an outing in Gettysburg. They are shown in their suburban York home. (Charles Fox / The Philadelphia Inquirer)
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Pennsylvania leads the nation in prosecuting drug overdose deaths as homicides. Prosecutors say it’s an important tool to fight the opioid epidemic by charging big-time drug dealers — and helps families get justice for their loved ones. But Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Aubrey Whelan explains why that’s often not the case.
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