A friend of an ASU broadcasting freshman who died in January admitted to injecting the student with a lethal dose of drugs, according to an ASU police report.
Andrew Tucker, 19, was found dead in his Best Hall dorm room Jan. 21 after friends had not seen him for several days and called police to check on him. Tucker was last seen alive in the early morning hours of Jan. 19.
Jessika Osborne, 19, who said she was a "good friend" of Tucker's, told police she cooked and administered a combination of heroin and cocaine, more commonly known as a "speedball," to Tucker on the evening of Jan. 18, according to a report on the case.
Police say Osborne has no affiliation with ASU. She resides in Gilbert and reportedly met Tucker at a concert last fall.
Osborne told police that she and Tucker frequently used heroin on weekends. She said she injected him with the drug about 75 percent of the time they used, the report indicates.
Tucker's parents and friends who were interviewed by police said Tucker was "very, very afraid of needles."
The Maricopa County Board of Medical Examiners ruled Tucker's death a homicide in April, but Osborne has not been charged in connection with the death.
The case is currently under review by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, which has not yet decided whether to press charges. County officials declined to comment on what charges, if any, would be filed, but ASU police expect a decision this week.
ASU police spokesman Keith Jennings said the county attorneys are in the process of evaluating the likelihood of a conviction if the case went to trial.
"They can decline to prosecute, send it back to (ASU police) for more investigation, or figure out which charges they want to file," Jennings said.
Osborne could not be reached for comment.
Andrew's father, Stan Tucker, said in a phone interview from their Lubbock, Texas, home, that no matter what happens with the case, it will not change what happened.
"I don't think anyone would purposely harm him, but we'll always have the wonderful memories of Andy and the life he lived," he said.
Mechanical engineering junior Nate Evans, who was with Osborne, Tucker and another girl the night of Tucker's death, described Tucker as "pretty messed up." He said Tucker's face was red and he kept scratching it.
Evans told the State Press that Tucker had been drinking alcohol that night, in addition to injecting drugs and taking prescription medicine.
Tucker's friends from his dorm told police they were concerned about his drug use, and that one friend had written Tucker a note telling him to "get off the blow, seriously."
Police reports indicate that Tucker and Osborne used approximately $70 worth of drugs the night he died. Police found syringes, rubber bands, lighters and spoons with residue in Tucker's room.
The ASU Crime Lab did not find fingerprints on the syringes.
In addition, several prescription drugs were seized from Tucker's room, including several anti-depressants, codeine and Claritin.
Reach the reporter at lindsey.holder@asu.edu.
