Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Mary-Kate Subpoenaed to Testify in Ledger Case

Uh-oh!

It’s getting serious.

Mary-Kate Olsen has been subpoenaed by the DEA to testify in front of a grand jury regarding the death of Heath Ledger.

MK had previously refused to talk to investigators without a guarantee of immunity, but now they’re not giving her much of a choice.

Legal eagles, weigh in: can she still invoke the fifth amendment on the stand at a grand jury hearing?

13 CommentsLeave a comment

  • Sounds scary but really, what else did she think would happen. She made herself look guilty of something by refusing to talk unless she wouldn’t get in trouble.

  • it’s pretty sketchy that she won’t talk in the first place. is it because she wants to respect her late friend, or because she has something to hide? if it’s the latter, she should be forced to explain herself. someone was lost who can’t be replaced and if she had something negative to do with it, she needs to answer for it.

  • i deeply suggest she not refuse
    if they know that you know something
    and you refuse to talk
    you could look at some jail time
    cause theres a possiblity your hiding something
    but she could plead the fifth.

  • Since MK is not a “suspect witness” (the person directly accused of a crime) she will be under different rules regarding pleading the 5A. Once an individual has been subpoenaed to testify in a grand jury hearing they must give any evidence legally requested of him/her regardless of any protest or belief on his/her part that it may tend to incriminate him/her. However, the person who gives testimony in a grand jury proceeding receives immunity (from having their testimony used directly against them in a subsequent trial) unless they waived that immunity – and there is no way MK will waive immunity.

  • Killed him? Pssh. At most she could have provided him with pills. I don’t think that’s killing him. Inadvertantly he was killed, sure. But it’s not directly her fault unless she shoved them down his throat.

  • Caroline is right – she’s going to have to testify, but it can’t be used against her.

    And I reiterate what I said a few days ago – you should never ever ever talk to the police if you can help it. There is nothing good that can come of it. If you haven’t watched Prof. James Duane’s video on why you should never talk to the police, you’re doing yourself a disservice. It sounds like MK got some sound legal advice.

    Here’s the link to Prof. Duane’s video again:
    http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4097602514885833865

  • I agree that no one should talk to the police without a lawyer, and then still with reservations. My parents are both lawyers and have been telling me this since I was little (they’re weird). That being said, it was hard to take the guy in the video seriously since he’s from Regent “University”.