Doctor Of Slipknot Bassist Paul Gray Charged With Manslaughter
Posted by Joseph Lee on 09.06.2012
He may be responsible for eight deaths...
The Des Moines Register reports that Slipknot bassist, lead songwriter and co-founder Paul Gray's doctor Daniel Baldi has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of eight people, including Gray, who died two years ago in a hotel room in Urbandale. The Polk County medical examiner said the cause of death was an accidental overdose of morphine and fentanyl.
Slipknot has continued on after Gray's death, as they released a best of album Antennas to Hell and created their own festival, Knotfest. They perform with Gray's mask and guitar displayed on stage while another bassist performs.
Gray's widow Brenna and Slipknot percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan were listed on the complaint filed in district court as nine people interviewed in the investigation. The complaint says that Baldi "continually wrote high dose prescription narcotics to a known drug addict from Dec. 27, 2005, until his death."
The Urbandale police report from the scene of Gray's death listed prescription pills and containers, including the anti-opiate suboxone. In a 2008 interview with Revolver magazine, Gray spoke about his drug abuse and said he had a near-death experience with heroin.
When asked about the charges, Crahan said: "None of it is going to bring back our brother Paul. This epidemic of this sort of activity is becoming more and more … evident. It truly is becoming a problem amongst people. And it trickles all the way down to the youth. And awareness needs to be brought about."
He explained that he was referring to "not only substance abuse but the ability to acquire substances, to get chemicals and the efficiency of it. Hopefully justice will be served."
The entire band plans to release a full statement today to cover the Baldi case and Gray's death. Gray's mother Nancy (68) was not listed as a witness in the case. Before Baldi's appearance in court yesterday, she said there was "nothing I could do to bring Paul back." She added that Gray was a patient of Baldi's and referred her to him for treatment of chronic pain.
After Gray's death the band and his wife got together in the basement of the Iowa Events Center for a press conference where Crahan called Gray "the essence of the band Slipknot."
Corey Taylor added: "We lost our brother, and the world seems a little smaller because of it. He was everything that was wonderful about this band and this group of people. The only way I can sum up Paul is ‘love.'"
Gray's daughter, October Dedrick, was born in August 2010, just a few months after his death.
