A Hialeah man is behind bars following his arrest yesterday for the alleged murder of his wife via a cocaine overdose earlier this year. As reported by Local 10, Rafael Lujan, 37, is facing charges of first-degree murder from cocaine and possession of cocaine after his wife overdosed in May. Hialeah Police responded to their home in West 89th Place to find the unresponsive woman on May 28, and she was pronounced dead on June 1 at Palmetto General Hospital.
It is noted that officers found a small bag containing cocaine in the residence and hospital tests subsequently confirmed the presence of the drug in the victim's system. "Based on the fact of the defendant's unlawful distribution of the cocaine to the victim caused her death, the defendant was arrested and charged accordingly," stated the Hialeah Police report. Lujan, who is currently held without bond, made his first court appearance today, where his bond status was determined to be set for a later date, as noted by NBC Miami.
Further details emerged from an NBC Miami article. During the bond hearing, a prosecutor presented the circumstances of the case, saying, "So he purchased cocaine, consumed it with his wife, who later passed away as a result of an overdose." This led to a legal query from Judge Mindy Glazer, who responded, "That's a novel theory," while inquiring whether the charges should be for first-degree murder or felony murder. Ultimately, Lujan was ordered to be held without bond.
The Medical Examiner's Office classified the death as acute combined drug toxicity from cocaine and ethanol. As of now, Lujan remains in custody at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center while the case continues to be processed through the legal system.
