Updated at the bottom: The D.A. threw the book at Cronin today. First posted at 8:03 a.m.

A 23-year-old man was behind bars today after he allegedly gave heroin to a Woodland Hills 13-year-old who then died, police said.

The suspect was identified as Brett Cronin. Sadly, a San Fernando Valley man on Facebook with the same name expressed his desire to “get off dope” as recently as March.

Cronin was booked on suspicion of murder and jailed in lieu of $1 million, according to an LAPD statement:

Authorities became aware of the situation Wednesday after paramedics responding to a 911 call found the teen dead at a residence in the 5300 block of Manton Avenue in Woodland Hills about 9:10 a.m., cops said.


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According to the statement:

Homicide detectives conducted an investigation and determined that a resident at the location, 23-year-old Brett Cronin, had administered the fatal dose …

It's not clear if the alleged dose was simply a matter of trying to get the teen high or something possibly more sinister.

A San Fernando Valley resident named Brett Cronin, who says he attended school in Encino and Mission Hills, posted on Facebook in March that he had a “plan to get off dope” and that …

… i'm finally getting clean again for ME this time.

I picked up a supply of xanax and suboxone flushed the rest of my dope down the toilet, gave the xannies and subs to my dad to doll out to me each day so I don't abuse them, and hopefully within 2 weeks I should be completely off that shit.

I'll still be smoking weed but that's all I'll be doing from now on, except the occasional xanny maybe..

everybody wish me luck. also thinking about enrolling myself into tarzana detox. Which I will if my insurance covers it, so pray for me on that one. 🙂

The ID of the victim was not released because of the teen's age.

[Update at 1:28 p.m. on Friday]: The LAPD states the victim was a friend of Cronin's little brother of the same age (the District Attorney's office, however, says the brother is 14) and that he took the heroin voluntarily:

Detectives said the victim went to his 13-year-old friend's house to spend the night; Cronin is the older brother of the friend. It appears the victim voluntarily injected the heroin but had a life threatening reaction. By the time paramedics were called, the victim's reaction proved to be fatal. The exact cause of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Coroner.

[Update at 2:35 p.m.]: The District Attorney's office today charged Cronin with murder and other crimes, allegations that could put him behind bars for life if he's convicted. Bail was recommended at $1 million. The defendant was scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon.

The charges, according to a D.A.'s statement, include …

… One count each of murder, furnishing or administering heroin to a minor and child abuse. Both the drug count and the child abuse counts carry allegations of great bodily injury and that the victim died.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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