Brittany Murphy’s death is back in the headlines thanks to her father, Angelo Bertolotti, who believes that the Clueless star was poisoned. Murphy was just 32 when she died in 2009 and her death was ruled an accident at the time. Her husband, Simon Monjack, died five months later at age 40.
Bertolli filed a suit against the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office and the Los Angeles Police Department, The Hollywood Reporter reported back in January 2012. He wants them to reopen the investigation into her death, alleging that they didn’t “conduct toxicology tests on the specimens” of her hair. According to the suit, he believes “his daughter’s death was incorrectly determined to have been allegedly caused by pneumonia and anemia.”
It was originally ruled that Murphy died of pneumonia, anemia and an overdose of prescription medications. Monjack’s official cause of death was also listed as pneumonia and anemia.
But, according to the Huffington Post, this lawsuit was later dismissed. So, he reportedly got the release of Murphy’s hair, blood and tissues for an independent study at the Carlson Company in Colorado.
In a statement to the Huffington Post, Bertolli said that their symptoms were similar to that of poisoning. “Ten heavy metals were found in abnormally high quantities (as much as 9 times over the 'high' limit designated by the World Health Organization),” he said. “These types of heavy metals/toxic elements are commonly found in rat poison, pesticides, insecticides, etc. Since neither Brittany nor Simon would have willingly consumed any such substances, the lab concluded that they may have been introduced by a third party with criminal intent.”
According to THR, he also appeared on Good Morning America this morning. “I have a feeling that there was definitely a murder situation here,” he said. “Yeah, it's poison. Yes, yes, I know that.”
While Bertolli is hoping that the LAPD conducts their own investigation, Chief Coroner Investigator Craig R. Harvey told the Huffington Post that they stand by their original reports. “We have not been presented any [third] party lab test results for analysis, so we are unable to comment on publicized reports of private lab tests,” he said.