This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Utah doctor charged with manslaughter for allegedly causing her husband's death by supplying him with a fatal mix of prescription drugs and alcohol made an initial court appearance on Friday.
Ina Judith Amber, 63, was charged with one count each of second-degree felony manslaughter and aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult in May — nearly two years after 54-year-old Rustin Orr died at the couple's Cottonwood Heights home.
She appeared on a summons in 3rd District Court Friday, where a judge set a scheduling hearing in the case for Sept 19, court records show.
Amber has not entered a plea to the charges. If convicted of the second-degree felonies, she faces up to 15 years in prison on each count.
Court papers say Amber, an infectious disease specialist, called 911 on Sept. 11, 2014, to report Orr's death. She told police she had been Orr's sole physician and prescribing doctor for 15 years and had diagnosed her husband with heart arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation and sleep apnea.
Investigators say Amber admitted to providing Orr with a mix of vodka and Gatorade daily, despite understanding the risk of combining alcohol with prescription drugs, court papers say.
An autopsy found Orr died from the mix of alcohol and Librium, a drug intended for use by alcoholics to reduce the symptoms associated with de-toxing, the documents state.
An investigation found that between October of 2013 and September 2014, Amber wrote Orr 17 prescriptions of Librium for Orr.
Court papers also say Amber told police Orr was controlling and had refused to divorce or move out of their home.
Court records show that at the time of his death, Orr had been charged with one count of third-degree felony aggravated assault for allegedly threatening a friend of Amber's with a loaded shotgun during an argument over his addiction to alcohol. Amber broke up the fight and called police, court records show.
The case was dismissed after Orr's death.