District Attorney Will Reopen Brittany Murphy's Death Probe If Presented With Credible Evidence
Nov. 19 2013, Published 2:06 p.m. ET
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office would reopen the investigation into the 2009 death of Clueless actress Brittany Murphy if presented with "credible evidence" that suggested her death was a homicide, RadarOnline.com has been told.
As we previously reported, an independent report commissioned by Angelo Bertolotti, Murphy's father, has revealed the presence of heavy metals at two to nine times higher than the levels identified by the World Health Organization as being considered "high.”
Heavy metals are most commonly found in rat poison and insecticides.
Now, a source inside the District Attorney’s office has revealed to Radar: “Of course, if someone, including Ms. Murphy's father, came to us with credible evidence that her death could have been caused by foul play, the office would investigate it -- just as they would in any other case not involving a celebrity.”
It’s a potentially stunning development in the investigation, which was closed in 2010 after the Los Angeles County coroner concluded Murphy's death was an accident caused by a combination of pneumonia, an iron deficiency and "multiple drug intoxication."
It also comes after the coroner said it stood by its initial finding.
“We have not seen the results and nothing has been presented to us,” a spokesperson for the coroner had insisted. “We stand by what we ruled on the case.”
Said our source: "As part of any potential criminal investigation, the District Attorney could subpoena Ms. Murphy's medical records, search warrants of her former residence, conduct interviews with key witnesses including her parents."
Murphy and her husband Simon Monjack both passed away within five months of each other.
In a shock move announced Monday, it was revealed Bertolotti had obtained his daughter’s hair, blood and tissues and had them tested for “heavy metals and toxins.”
“I have a feeling that there was a definite murder situation here — it’s poison, yes, I know that,” Bertolotti said of the deaths in an interview on Tuesday morning.
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