Melissa Ann Blair visited her inmate boyfriend Anthony Powell at the Oregon State Penitentiary, and before leaving the lovers exchanged a long kiss. The boyfriend died not long after said visit.
It turned out that Blair passed seven tiny balloons filled with methamphetamine into her boyfriend’s mouth. Two of the balloons later ruptured in Powell’s stomach only after a short while and he died of methamphetamine toxicity.
For giving her boyfriend a meth-laden kiss, Blair was sentenced to two years in prison on a drug conspiracy charge.
U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez said that such actions of Blair were part of a scheme devised by Powell and others to bring in illegal drugs inside the prison. There was a dispute, however, as to whether Blair participated in the scheme out of her own free will. It was brought up that Powell was also responsible for his own death.
Judge Hernandez said: “It was tragic and sad but he shares responsibility for what happened.”
Court records say Powell, 41, was then serving a life sentence for aggravated murder in the stabbing death of his mother-in-law.
As for Blair, aside from getting two years in federal prison, the judge also ordered the 46-year-old woman to complete three years of post-release supervision and to participate in drug treatment and mental health programs.
Blair refused to make a statement in court. Her sister attended the hearing for her but also declined to comment. Blair’s attorney, John Ransom, however, said outside the court that Blair only felt coerced by Powell even though he was behind bars. He also said that while she used methamphetamine, she was not an addict. Ransom said Powell had total control of Blair’s life.
Four other defendants in the case likewise pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy charge and will be sentenced in the next few weeks.
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