Official: Drugs, heart issue may have killed woman

Category: News

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By PAUL FOY

Anna Walthall, a former mistress of Martin MacNeill, testifies during his trial at the Fourth District Court in Provo Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013. MacNeill is charged with murder for allegedly killing his wife Michele MacNeill in 2007. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Mark Johnston, Pool)
Doctor Wife-Death

Alexis Somers testifies at the trial of her father Martin MacNeill at the Fourth District Court in Provo Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013. Martin MacNeill is charged with murder for allegedly killing his wife Michele MacNeill in 2007. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Mark Johnston, Pool)
Doctor’s Wife Death

Pleasant Grove physician Martin MacNeill, center, charged with murder for allegedly killing his wife, Michele MacNeill in 2007 so he could continue and extramarital affair, speaks with defense attorney’s Susanne Gustin and Caleb Proulx in Judge Derek Pullan’s 4th District Court in Provo on Friday, Oct. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/The Salt Lake Tribune, Francisco Kjolseth, Pool)
Doctor Wife-Death

Chad Grunander, Utah County prosecutor, right, speaks to Sam Pead, fellow Utah County prosecutor, during the trial of Martin MacNeill at the Fourth District Court in Provo Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013. MacNeill is charged with murder for allegedly killing his wife Michele MacNeill in 2007. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Mark Johnston, Pool)
Doctor Wife-Death

Alexis Somers wipes tears from her eyes while testifying at the trial of her father Martin MacNeill at the Fourth District Court in Provo Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013. Martin MacNeill is charged with murder for allegedly killing his wife Michele MacNeill in 2007. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Mark Johnston, Pool)
Doctor Wife-Death

Alexis Somers is handed documents by Chad Grunander, Utah County prosecutor, while testifying at the trial of her father Martin MacNeill at the Fourth District Court in Provo Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013. Martin MacNeill is charged with murder for allegedly killing his wife Michele MacNeill in 2007. (AP Photo/Daily Herald, Mark Johnston, Pool)

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PROVO, Utah (AP) — A medical examiner has testified that the wife of a Utah doctor on trial for murder may have died from drug toxicity combined with heart disease.

Witness Todd Gray said Thursday that one of his subordinates originally ruled Michele MacNeill’s death was natural from heart disease.

But Gray says investigative findings prompted him to change the autopsy finding to undetermined — and to add that drug toxicity may have played a role.

That led the way for criminal charges against Martin MacNeill.

Prosecutors say Martin MacNeill hounded his wife, Michele MacNeill, to get cosmetic surgery then knocked her out with painkillers and left her to die in a bathtub.

Defense lawyers have argued that she had a heart attack and fell into the tub,

Gray says he couldn’t confirm that she drowned, but it’s possible.

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