Stripper Turned Judge Died Of Pharmaceutical Drug Overdose

Stripper Turned Judge Died Of Pharmaceutical Drug Overdose

May 6. 2016

Diana Hampton

This is a follow up to the March 22, 2016 Judiciary Report article "Stripper Turned Judge Found Dead In Nevada." Former stripper turned municipal court judge, Diana Hampton, died this past March under unexplained circumstances. The jurist was found dead in her Henderson, Nevada townhouse.

The 50-year-old mother of two was a stripper in university to pay for admission to law school. She became a lawyer, city attorney, then a prominent local judge in Nevada. She was an intelligent woman. However, like many who are struggling with pain, Hampton exceeded the recommended dosage of the opioid painkiller Fentanyl, which created a serious reaction that led to her death.

Hampton had developed an infection in her arm and was suffering from sepsis, which is painful and can become excruciating. I stayed with my friend's mom in the hospital when she had sepsis and had to undergo dialysis as well and she was in a significant amount of pain. I asked the doctor to give her a painkiller and he obliged. The nurse then monitored her condition and at correct intervals gave her painkillers during her stay in the hospital. However, for someone like Hampton, who was in pain at home, it is not difficult to overdose when sepsis is present. People have to follow recommended medication guidelines carefully to prevent overdose.

STORY SOURCE

Henderson Judge's Death Ruled Accidental

April 25, 2016 - 9:22amUpdated April 27, 2016 - 12:15pm - The March death of Henderson Municipal Judge Diana Hampton was caused by an infection in her lower right arm, but the Clark County coroner’s office said Monday that a toxic level of a synthetic opioid pain reliever was a contributing factor. Her death was ruled accidental.

Officially, Hampton died from “sepsis due to necrotizing cellulitis of the lower right arm,” according to a statement from Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin. Clark County Coroner Jon Fudenburg said his office was unable to determine the cause of the infection. But the coroner’s office found two additional factors that contributed to the judge’s death: granulomatous lung disease and toxic levels of the drug fentanyl in her system.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used as a pain reliever. The drug is considered 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Granulomatous lung disease is inflammation of the lungs, often caused by an infection or the injection of a foreign substance. Deaths caused by infection are typically ruled natural, Fudenburg said. “What made this an accident was the fentanyl intoxication,” he said. “Absent the fentanyl, it would have been ruled natural.”...

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