A Long Island prosecutor is seeking a special grand jury to investigate so-called "doctor shopping'' in the wake of revelations the man convicted of murdering four people during a pharmacy holdup in June had amassed more than 10,000 pain pills from various doctors over the years.
Suffolk District Attorney Thomas Spota says the grand jury also will investigate possible criminal conduct of doctors in prescribing of painkillers.
Spota's comments were first reported Sunday in Newsday.
He also said the grand jury will examine the effectiveness of a state database that tracks painkiller abuse.
The newspaper reported last week that convicted killer David Laffer and his wife filled prescriptions for almost 12,000 pain pills from dozens of doctors in the four years before the Haven Drugs massacre.
Laffer indicated at his sentencing he had been "shopping'' for doctors willing to prescribe painkillers with little or no questions asked.
Grand Jury to Probe “Doctor Shopping” in Wake of Medford Homicides
David Laffer pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced this month to consecutive sentences of life in prison without parole.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
