WOMAN, 36, CHARGED IN HEROIN OVERDOSE THAT KILLED BOYFRIEND

ROCKFORD -- A 36-year-old Wisconsin woman faces homicide charges here
for allegedly injecting her boyfriend with a load of heroin that killed him.

[Name redacted]a of Albany, Wis., was in custody in Green County,
Wis., Monday awaiting extradition to Winnebago County on a charge of
drug-induced homicide.

Her boyfriend, Max A. Huffman, 52, also of Albany, was pronounced
dead, possibly from a drug overdose, at SwedishAmerican Hospital on
Dec. 12, after being dropped off that day at the emergency room. A
later examination of Huffman's body showed that he had died of a
heroin overdose.

"In this case, she provided him with a lethal dose of heroin,"
Rockford Deputy Police Chief Greg Lindmark said. "We found that out
during our investigation following the death."

Lindmark said [Name redacted], Huffman and two other people traveled
from Wisconsin to visit acquaintances here. They bought some heroin
and shot up at a residence in the 1000 block of South Third Street.

After injecting the drug, Huffman became sick and was taken to the hospital.

Winnebago County First Deputy State's Attorney Chuck Prorok said
under the law, a person does not have to know that the amount or
purity of the heroin could kill someone in order for the person to be
charged with drug-induced homicide.

Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia said toxicology results didn't
find any evidence of fentanyl, an anesthetic and analgesic, that was
mixed with some heroin and blamed for several deaths last year.

Last summer, 29-year-old Renee M. Allen pleaded guilty to a charge of
drug-induced homicide in connection with the death of Matthew
Raefler, 20, who also died of a heroin overdose. She was sentenced to
15 years in prison and is in custody at the Dwight Correctional
Center, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Because Huffman died in December, his death was added to the 2006
totals, bringing the city's total for last year to 18.