MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN OXYCONTIN DEATH

TAZEWELL, Va. -- A man faces up to 81 years in prison for what is
believed to be the first murder charge related to OxyContin, the
powerful painkiller blamed for dozens of fatal overdoses across the
country.

Robert Stallard, 43, pleaded guilty Monday to murder, drug
distribution and unlawful disposal of a human body.

"All I can do is pray and hope for the best," Stallard said before
being led back to jail.

Nicholas Dickerson, 40, died after coming to Stallard's apartment
last September in search of the prescription painkiller. Stallard
admitted he injected OxyContin into the arm of his partially
paralyzed friend.

Stallard later found his friend dead, panicked and dragged the body
outside before calling 911, police said.

Authorities decided that selling Dickerson the drug and helping him
inject it was tantamount to shooting him with a gun. Defense attorney
Penny Nimmo said there was no malice involved and she would seek to
reduce the murder charge to manslaughter before next month's
sentencing.

"Nick asked to be injected and he got what he asked for," Nimmo said.
"It wasn't as if it was an innocent person who got held down and
injected with drugs."

Gregg Wood, a health care fraud investigator for the U.S. attorney's
office who monitors OxyContin-related crimes nationwide, said he
knows of no other murder charges resulting from an OxyContin overdose.

OxyContin is a slow-release narcotic that is widely prescribed for
moderate to severe chronic pain resulting from such problems as
arthritis, back trouble and cancer. One pill is designed to last 12
hours, but those who abuse OxyContin usually crush the medicine and
then snort or inject it, producing a quick, heroin-like high.

The federally approved drug has been linked to at least 120 overdose
deaths nationwide. In May, drugmaker Purdue Pharma suspended
shipments of its largest dose, the 160-milligram tablet, and took
steps to make people aware of dangers linked to the drug.

Dickerson's brother, Larry, said he hoped the defendant died behind bars.

"Robert's got a life ahead of him. Robert has his wife and children,"
he said. "Nick has none of this. The only thing we've got of Nick is
memories."