COPS PROBE LINK TO DRUGS

PHILADELPHIA -- Canisters of nitrous oxide were the only questionable
substance found at the crime scene, but homicide detectives are now probing
a potential drug link to the shooting deaths of Katie Lazaro and her fiance.

"That is under investigation, but there is nothing confirmed at this
point," Capt. Thomas Lippo of the Philadelphia Police Department's homicide
division said yesterday. "We're still trying to sort it out, but at this
point we know for certain it was an argument that ensued before the shootings."

Lippo said the $150,000 found in the south Philadelphia home of Lazaro's
fiance Bruno Ciarrocchi had raised a "red flag" about possible narcotics,
but a search turned up no evidence.

He said nitrous oxide -- commonly known as "laughing gas" -- is popular at
raves.

It's not known if Ciarrocchi and accused killer Eric Mueller, who
co-promoted the events, were selling the canisters.

Marijuana

A man who says he spoke with the man who fled from Ciarrocchi's home with
Mueller after the shootings said the dispute was sparked over drug money.

The man said Mueller and Ciarrocchi, friends since high school, were
selling large quantities of marijuana. It's believed Ciarrocchi was in an
aggravated mood that day and hit a man named Lee in the back of the head
with a shotgun before Mueller fired the shots.

"Shady" Mueller, 27, has been charged with two counts of murder and has
been denied bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Thursday, when a
judge will determine the specific charges based on evidence heard. Lippo
expected it could take about one year before the case goes to trial.

Lippo would not say if the suspect has a criminal record, but confirmed
that Mueller is known to police.

"Let's just say he's no stranger to law enforcement," Lippo said.

Yesterday, the accused man's mother declined to comment on her son's case.

"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped from her west Philadelphia
suburban home.

Also yesterday, the landlord of Ciarrocchi's rented townhome where the
couple was slain was busy cleaning up the unit. A pile of old vinyl
records, turntables and other belongings sat in the front room, where thick
shards of broken glass smeared with blood littered the floor.

A streak of blood marked the white wall at the entrance to the living room
where the murders took place.

Lazaro, a promising pre-law university student who was in the wrong place
at the wrong time when the violence erupted, will be laid to rest in a
Philadelphia suburb today.

A funeral service for the 22-year-old Ottawa woman begins at 11:30 a.m. at
St. Cyril's church.

Temple University, where Lazaro majored in political science, plans to
establish a memorial fund in her memory, but college spokeswoman Harriet
Goodheart said details have not yet been finalized.