It’s a small victory, and hopefully, the beginning of the end of this fight to bring justice for Jax. Their dealer, Skylar Mitchell, has entered a guilty plea in order to avoid what would otherwise be a minimum 20 year sentence. She will instead be sentenced no less than 10 years, with further stipulations for drug treatment and testing upon release. Trying really hard not to simply address this with an “eye for an eye” mentality, but to do what is best for everyone involved — especially for my family. Not to drag this through a painful trial, but to seek a meaningful conclusion and end to this brutal chapter in our lives.
In 2022, it is estimated that over 109,000 Americans died from fentanyl poisoning — and knowing the inconsistency with which these deaths are handled, probably many, many more. Some victims knew what they were doing and used it over time, while many others — particularly our younger victims — never knew and used just once. After all, it takes as little as 2mg to kill an adult — and most fentanyl on the illicit market is loaded with much more (because it’s CHEAP) and made to look like legitimate prescription drugs.
But I’m not here to tell you all of that. You should know this stuff by now. What I’m here to tell you is that we have another problem compounding that of fentanyl — prosecutorial and political cowardice in facing this mounting crisis. My own brush with LA District Attorney George Gascon and his office has driven this home in a way that is both painful and unmistakable. His administration made it clear that they were unwilling to pursue 2nd degree murder charges, in spite of their admission that the evidence in our case fully supported it. Had they been allowed to pursue lesser charges, there is a high likelihood that the dealer would have gotten either probation or little more than a few months in the county slammer. They know it, and we know it. And this is why we INSISTED that the case be pushed to the federal level.
My takeaway: Gascon has failed us. He’s more interested in chasing down the addicts who commit smash and grab burglaries to support their desperate addictions, vs taking down the people poisoning them in the first place. The ones who are left with no choice, vs the ones who act through pure, reckless greed. Bad priorities. He needs to go.
Thankfully, with strong support from the LA Sheriff’s Department, the DEA and the US Attorney’s office, our case has been taken to the federal level, resulting thus far in the recent incarceration of Jax’s dealer — who now sits behind bars without bail, awaiting trial in the next month or so.
One more time: Jax’s dealer is now BEHIND BARS where she needs to be. Not that it changes much of anything for us. But it does remove one dealer who has shown a willingness to sell this poison to anyone — even to a minor, as Jax was when they got snagged into this fatal mess. Ironically, this might very well save the dealer’s life from the same addiction.
And on the balance, I think I’m okay with that. I have to be.
Apart from the fact that I will never be quite okay again.
