{{Short description|American teen who died after being dosed with date-rape drug GHB}} {{redirect|Samantha Reid|the synchronised swimmer|Samantha Reid (synchronised swimmer)}}
'''Samantha Reid''' (January 2, 1984 – January 17, 1999) was an American poisoning victim. She grew up in the Detroit, Michigan Metropolitan Area and came to national attention due to her lethal GHB overdose, at the age of 15. Her death resulted in the first manslaughter trial of defendants who were accused of being responsible for a GHB overdose. Convictions of poisoning were upheld.<ref name="Chicago Tribune" />
==Summary== On January 16, 1999, Samantha Reid and her friends, Melanie Sindone and Jessica VanWassehnova, attended a party where three young men offered them drinks.<ref name="AP">{{cite news |last1=Irwin |first1=Jim |title=Four Convicted in Date-Rape Case |url=https://apnews.com/article/407af591f9148e6b34cd958571f7646f |access-date=1 May 2021 |work=AP News |agency=AP Detroit |publisher=The Associated Press |date=15 March 2000 |location=New York}}</ref> Samantha and Melanie both asked for Mountain Dew.<ref name="Chicago Tribune">{{cite news |last1=Christian |first1=Sue Ellen |title=TEEN'S DEATH SHEDS LIGHT ON A VOLATILE PARTY DRUG |work=AP News |publisher=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-02-07-0002070055-story.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017230138/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2000-02-07-0002070055-story.html |archive-date=2018-10-17 |date=2000-02-07 |access-date=2022-05-03 }}</ref><ref name="AP"/> The young men brought them the cocktails, to which they had added either gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) or gamma-butyrolactone (GBL).<ref name="AP"/> Melanie stated that her face became numb soon afterward, and then she and Samantha both passed out.<ref name="Chicago Tribune" /><ref name="AP"/> Jessica later noticed that they were having difficulty breathing. The boys eventually drove them to a hospital, but Samantha was not breathing when she arrived at the hospital.<ref name="Chicago Tribune" /> Both girls were put on life-support; Reid died the next day.<ref name="AP"/><ref name="MDN"/>
Three of the young men, Joshua Cole, Daniel Brayman, and Nicholas Holtschlag were initially convicted of manslaughter and poisoning, but an appellate court dismissed the manslaughter conviction. Accessory charges against party host Erick Limmer, who was in his bedroom when Samantha became unconscious, were also dismissed.<ref name="AP"/><ref name="MDN" />
==Trial== The four men were charged with manslaughter as well as related offenses.<ref name="AP"/> Three were convicted of manslaughter as well as poisoning while the fourth was convicted of being an accessory.<ref name="AP"/> Joshua Cole, Daniel Brayman, and Nicholas Holtschlag were sentenced to 15 years for the involuntary manslaughter charge and two counts of mixing a harmful substance. Erick Limmer received a 5-year sentence for one count each of being an accessory to manslaughter after the fact. This included the related charges of mixing a harmful substance, delivery of marijuana and possession of GHB.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Staff |title=Date-Rape Drug Death Lands 4 In Jail |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/date-rape-drug-death-lands-4-in-jail/ |access-date=April 22, 2022 |work=CBS News |agency=CBS Interactive Inc. |publisher=CBS Interactive Inc. |date=March 30, 2000 }}</ref>
The Michigan Court of Appeals dismissed the manslaughter convictions of Cole, Brayman, and Holtschlag on March 21, 2003. The court also dismissed the accessory charge against Limmer. The court upheld the other convictions, that pertained to poisoning, against all four men. The basis for the appeal and dismissal was the claim that the prosecution had contradicted itself by asserting that the manslaughter was involuntary while the poisoning was intentional. Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor Tim Baughman expressed an intent to appeal the ruling.<ref name="MDN">{{cite news |last1=Moses |first1=Alexandra R. |title=Mich. Date-Rape Death Charges Tossed |url=https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Mich-Date-Rape-Death-Charges-Tossed-7190285.php |access-date=1 May 2021 |work=Midland Daily News |date=28 March 2003}}</ref>
==Outcome== Reid's death inspired the legislation titled the ''Hillory J. Farias and Samantha Reid Date-Rape Drug Prohibition Act of 2000''. This law categorized GHB as a Schedule I controlled substance according to the Controlled Substances Act.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/106/hr2130|website=govtrack.us|title=H.R. 2130 (106th): Hillory J. Farias and Samantha Reid Date-Rape Drug Prohibition Act of 2000}}</ref> However, FDA-approved products containing sodium oxybate, such as Xyrem, are regulated under the less-strict Schedule III.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/xyrem-sodium-oxybate-information|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927114247/https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/xyrem-sodium-oxybate-information|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 27, 2019|title = Xyrem (Sodium oxybate) Information|journal = FDA|date = 9 February 2019}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{cite web|url=http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/ghb/ |website=Erowid.org|title= GHB }} *{{cite web|url=http://www.24dash.com/health/13095.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235023/http://www.24dash.com/health/13095.htm|archive-date=26 September 2007|website=24dash.com|title=GHB use as a date-rape drug}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Samantha}} {{Portal|1990s}} Category:1984 births Category:1999 deaths Category:1999 in Michigan Category:Accidental deaths in Michigan Category:American children Category:American manslaughter victims Category:People from Detroit Category:Drug-facilitated sexual assault