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Cupp was charged in December with involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide. Police allege in court records they responded to the overdose death of Ashley Parr about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 1 at a home on Cedarview Drive. Cupp was at the home, according to court records, and police said he talked to them willingly.
“He admitted to officers that he had purchased the drugs from an unnamed dealer and brought it back to the house and split it with Ms. Parr,” the police affidavit says.
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Clark County Prosecutor Andy Wilson said Cupp’s alleged actions led to the death of Parr.
“Part of fighting the opioid epidemic is holding dealers and people who provide others with dangerous drugs accountable,” Wilson said. “If law enforcement is able to find evidence that you provided drugs for someone and that person dies from using those drugs, you are going to be prosecuted for your role in causing that death.”
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Cupp told the Springfield News-Sun in an exclusive interview that Parr allegedly bought the drugs with her money and agreed to split some of it with him. He claimed he’s innocent of the charges.
“They have it all backward,” Cupp told the News-Sun.
Cupp pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Clark County Common Pleas Court on Sunday. His bond was set at $50,000.
The police spoke with a nurse at the hospital, according to the affidavit, who said Cupp allegedly said he killed his girlfriend.
“She stated that Mr. Cupp told her he killed his girlfriend on Monday and has been taking every kind of drug to kill himself,” the affidavit says.
Cupp told the News-Sun that his words were taken out of context. He felt guilty about her death, he said, but doesn’t believe that he’s legally responsible.
“I loved that girl and I would never hurt her,” he said.
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