Coroner: Drugs Found in Scott Ruffalo's System
Amy Graves/Getty Images
The mystery surrounding the death of Mark Ruffalo's brother just got a little more clouded.
The Los Angeles Coroner's Office today confirmed that extensive toxicology tests showed Scott Ruffalo had slight amounts of cocaine, morphine and alcohol in his system at the time he was fatally shot Dec. 1 in what the lone witness claimed was a game of Russian roulette.
"We found very light trace of cocaine and morphine and a minimal amount of alcohol. In other words, he wasn't drunk or high on drugs when this happened," coroner spokesman Ed Winter tells E! News.
"Our findings indicate the cocaine in the blood was 0.03 milligrams and 0.04 milligrams/micrograms for the opiate morphine. The morphine could have been as the result of medication."
Winter says the police will use the report in the ongoing investigation.
Scott Ruffalo, a 39-year-old hairstylist and younger sibling of the Hollywood actor, died in the hospital Dec. 8 after being removed from life support. His death came one week after he was discovered in his Beverly Hills apartment with a gunshot wound to the head.
After the initial autopsy, the coroner determined that someone else had shot him but withheld a full report on the cause of death pending toxicology tests.
In the wake of the shooting, 26-year-old Shaha Mishaal Adham turned herself in to police for questioning. But she was released without charge, and her attorney, Ronald Richards, claimed Ruffalo accidentally killed himself while playing Russian roulette.
Meanwhile, after a period of mourning, Mark Ruffalo has gone back to work, directing and starring in the tenatively titled indie drama, Sympathy for Delicious, costarring Orlando Bloom, Juliette Lewis and Ruffalo's You Can Count on Me partner, Laura Linney.
"The doctor's opinion was the cause of death was a single gunshot to the head," Winter says. "The injury appears inconsistent with the history provided by witnesses and further police investigation has failed to clear up these inconsistencies. Therefore, we're ruling it a homicide until proven otherwise."
The Big Picture
All Growed Up Guess Zac has officially adopted the smoldering look, 'cause we haven't seen a smile in weeks
More PhotosMost Commented
- Bitch-Back! Breaking News—Johnny's a Hottie (916)
- Rob and Kristen "Relaxed" Together in NYC (673)
- Costars and Suits Give Robsten Their Blessings! (650)
- Rob Flies Back to L.A. With Kristen (573)
- Truth, Lies & Ted: Twilight Special (478)
- Why Won't Sarah Palin Go Away? (448)
- Adam Lambert: For Your Entertainment—or His? (439)
- Is New Moon Even Good? (425)
- Review: New Moon Is Either Just Fine or Way Mopey, Depending On Who You Are (365)
- Bitch-Back! Is There Drama on the Gossip Girl Set? (345)
Top 10 Stories
- Dancing With the Stars: A New Winner Raises the Disco Ball
- J.Lo's Ex: There's "Maybe One Spanking," but I'm Not Selling a Sex Tape
- Nicole Richie Back in Her Own Bed
- GMA Doesn't Want Adam Lambert's Sloppy Seconds...Cue The Early Show!
- Goodbye or Good Riddance to Jon & Kate Plus 8?
- Oprah's Mom Settles Clothes Call Lawsuit
- Rihanna Sings Threesome, Avoids Going Naked on GMA
- Michael Lohan Runs Out of Family Members to Alienate, Starts Leaking Jon Gosselin Tapes
- It's a Sexy Job, but Adam Lambert's Gotta Do It!
- Donny Discovers Parts He Never Had Before for Dancing With the Stars Finale
Fashion Police
Sloppy SuitingGwyneth dares to experiment with hard-to-wear satin, but the result is dull and unpolished
More Photos
Latest Movie Reviews
Get Your E! News Now
3 Comments
-
Show the next 1 - 0 of 3 comments
Now loading...