Oct 22, 2007 11:00 pm US/Central
Musician Extremely Intoxicated Before Killed
DALLAS (AP) ―
A former member of Edie Brickell & New Bohemians had a blood alcohol level of more than three times the legal limit when his girlfriend's neighbor fatally shot the guitarist as he tried to kick in the man's door, according to an autopsy report.
Carter Albrecht had an alcohol level of 0.29 in his blood, according to Ken Albrecht, Carter's father..
"He was extremely intoxicated," Sgt. Larry Lewis, a homicide unit supervisor, said. "You'd have to be concerned about whether he was aware of his surroundings."
There were no illegal substances in Albrecht's system, the report found. Additional tests will be done to look for signs of Chantix, an anti-smoking drug that friends and family believe played a role in his behavior, the newspaper reported.
Albrecht, a member of the Dallas band Sorta, was shot in the head and killed Sept. 3 by the homeowner who told a 911 operator he was trying to fire a warning shot.
Albrecht had been a keyboard player for the New Bohemians since 1999, according to the band's Web site. Albrecht played several times with Brickell's husband, Paul Simon. He also played with Texas musician Charlie Sexton, a renowned guitarist.
Police are awaiting the results of additional tests before presenting the case to a grand jury.
Ryann Rathbone, Albrecht's girlfriend, told the newspaper she wasn't surprised by the amount of alcohol in her boyfriend's system because he had had three drinks and two shots that night.
"I know that's not what made him act out," she said. "He's drank a lot more than that before in a shorter period of time. It was not unusual for him to have that much (alcohol)."
The makers of Chantix have said clinical studies don't suggest a causal relationship between its use and rage.
Rathbone said Albrecht began acting strangely as they left a bar, spinning out of control after they returned home. He wanted to leave but she didn't want him to drive.
Rathbone said that he then began to hit her, but that he didn't seem to realize he was hurting her. She locked him out and he then went next door and started pounding on the door before he was shot.
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