Former Senator Joyce died of drug overdose

Found the day after car crash at his Westport home; had been awaiting trial

Posted 12/6/18

They remain uncertain whether he died by accident or suicide, but state medical examiners say they now know what caused long-time state Senator Brian Joyce to die in his Westport home on Sept. 27, …

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Former Senator Joyce died of drug overdose

Found the day after car crash at his Westport home; had been awaiting trial

Posted

They remain uncertain whether he died by accident or suicide, but state medical examiners say they now know what caused long-time state Senator Brian Joyce to die in his Westport home on Sept. 27, 2018, at age 56.

Those investigators determined that Mr. Joyce died of an overdose — “acute pentobarbital intoxication.” Also found in his system were slightly elevated levels of the prescription anti-depression drug Citralopram.

Pentobarbital is a drug typically used to treat sleeplessness but is also used to anesthetize or euthanize animals.

“At this time, we are reviewing the autopsy report and all other attendant circumstances to determine whether further investigation is warranted,” the district attorney’s office said.

The day before his death, Mr. Joyce crashed his car into a utility pole and fence on Sodom Road in Westport, an accident that he said happened when he swerved to avoid hitting a deer. There was no word of any injuries from the single-car crash.

The following days, the state Attorney General’s office stated, “Early this afternoon, the wife of former state Sen. Brian A. Joyce found him deceased in their home in Westport … Foul play is not suspected in the death at this time. The investigation remains active and ongoing.”

Had been awaiting trial

Mr. Joyce had endured difficult times over the past few years.

In early 2016, the FBI raided his law office and for undisclosed reasons and seized evidence. Weeks later he announced that he would not be seeking re-election to the Senate.

Then, in December of 2017, federal law enforcement arrested him on 113 corruption-related charges, among them extortion, money laundering, and taking bribes and kickbacks totaling nearly $1 million over a period of years. An accountant was later arrested on helping him file false tax returns.

He pleaded not guilty to the accusations and had been awaiting trial. Several of the charges carried penalties of up to 20 years in prison.

In another legal matter from 2016, Senator Joyce paid fines, but did not admit wrongdoing, of almost $5,000 related to alleged campaign finance violations — among them using campaign funds to pay for his son’s high school graduation party.

Senator Joyce, 55, was first elected to the Senate in 1997, where he would continue to serve for the next nine consecutive terms before announcing plans to step down last year. 

He had held a number of leadership roles in the Senate, including assistant Senate majority leader, chairman of the Special Committee to Improve Government, vice chairman of the Committee on Redistricting and served as a member of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing.

When he left office, he wrote on his Facebook page, “As my term in office ended this morning, I wanted to thank you for the honor of serving you in the Massachusetts Senate. I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many incredible people over twenty years, and to work on issues that impact you and your loved ones. … I’ve had the opportunity to participate in historic debates, cast a critical vote against the death penalty and stood firm for equal marriage rights when neither position was popular because I believed them to be the right votes. I sought to protect innocent, disabled children from abuse, and to provide seniors with a choice of home care over a nursing home.

I helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for new school buildings and education funding, and for business district revitalizations. We restored the majestic beauty of the Neponset River and Blue Hills reservations, and most importantly, provided constituent services to thousands throughout the years. Mary and I are grateful to each and every person who assisted us along the way, especially those whose friendship and support sustained us during challenging times.”

He had pointed with pride to his excellent voting score from the Environmental League of Massachusetts.

But hints of trouble surfaced before the raid, including accusations of goods and services obtained without payment.

In one of many denials he wrote, “I am disappointed in the false accusations … Over the course of many years, I provided uncompensated legal services to a small businessman and property owner who claimed an inability to pay for those services. Those legal services far exceeded any dry cleaning offered. It was a barter arrangement that he had not only with me, but with two other local lawyers. I provided evidence of this to the extent permitted within the constraints of attorney-client privilege but that evidence was ignored.

“With respect to the sunglasses matter which has been the subject of literally dozens of stories over the past 13 months, the Ethics Commission investigated and closed out this matter as unworthy of any further action.”

In response to requests for comment, his attorney, Howard Cooper, wrote,

"The family asks that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.”

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