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Robert De Niro’s grandson died from a combination of illegal drugs, including fentanyl and cocaine, a New York City medical examiner said Tuesday.
Leandro Anthony De Niro-Rodriguez, 19, was found unconscious on July 2 at an apartment on 55 Wall St. in lower Manhattan. The aspiring actor was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
A woman, Sophia Marks, 20, was taken into custody a little over a week after his death in connection with the case. She was charged with one count of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and alprazolam, and two counts of distributing and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan said.
On Tuesday, the teenager’s cause of death was revealed to be from “toxic effects of fentanyl, bromazolam, alprazolam, 7-aminoclonazepam, ketamine, and cocaine,” the city’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner said. The manner was ruled an accident.
It’s not clear if Marks will face additional federal charges. The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment. Her attorney did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment on Wednesday.
Robert De Niro declined to comment. De Niro-Rodriguez’s mother, Drena De Niro, is the daughter of the two-time Oscar winner.
Marks is accused of selling three counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl and two tablets of Xanax to a 19-year-old male victim, according to a federal criminal complaint. The victim, who is not named in the complaint, took one of the counterfeit oxycodone pills and died. Two of the counterfeit oxycodone pills, along with other drug paraphernalia, were found inside the victim’s apartment, according to the complaint.
Authorities said Marks knew the illicit drugs she was selling were dangerous and expressed concern about them, the complaint says. In one text message to the victim on June 30, she allegedly said of the pills, “I j[ust] don’t like serving u them cuz they not script,” meaning prescription, the complaint states.
Marks allegedly delivered the drugs to the victim via a car service. Authorities said around 1:50 a.m. on July 2, she texted the victim “u good?” but did not get a response. She was arrested following an undercover drug sale.
Minyvonne Burke is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News.
Diana Dasrath is entertainment producer and senior reporter for NBC News covering all platforms.
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