Conspiracy theories surround the sudden August death of Shawn Lucas, who helped serve the Democratic National Committee with a lawsuit alleging fraud in the presidential race.
Lucas, 38, died on August 2, confirmed the Washington D.C. medical examiner, but the circumstances of his death remained foggy for months. He was the latest Washington D.C. man who died young to inspire DNC-related conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories also surround the July murder of Seth Rich, a DNC data analyst who worked on voting rights issues and who was gunned down in an unsolved slaying on a Washington D.C. street. Rich’s murder remains unsolved.
However, Lucas’ death has now been labeled an accident as a result of a combination of drugs, including kratom.
According to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of Washington D.C., this is the cause and manner of Shawn Lucas’ death. The office released the information to Heavy on November 1:
Cause: Combined adverse effects of fentanyl, cyclobenzaprine, and mitragynine
Manner: Accident
The office does not release further details under law.
Fentanyl is “a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that is similar to morphine.”
Cyclobenzaprine is a muscle relaxant.
Mitragynine is the main component in the herb Kratom. Forbes says the federal Drug Enforcement Administration is trying to restrict access to kratom, adding that “various forms of kratom and teas made from the plant’s leaves are sold in cafes and on the internet. Their primary effect is to provide a short-lived peaceful and calm feeling that is described as pleasant.”
As for the DNC lawsuit, Lucas was one of several process servers and was captured on video serving the lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed on June 28 by Bernie Sanders supporters against the DNC and then DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who resigned in the wake of the WikiLeaks email scandal.
The lawsuit filed by “a group made up predominantly of Bernie Sanders supporters” alleges Wasserman Schultz “rigged the primary for Hillary Clinton,” says UPI.
The group of 120 people says in the lawsuit “that Wasserman Schultz and the DNC were fraudulent, negligent and misrepresented their true motivations in the Democratic presidential primary,” said UPI, adding that internal email and memos were cited in the lawsuit.
Read more about Shawn Lucas here:
Shawn Lucas: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Conspiracy theories have grown around the sudden August death of Shawn Lucas, who helped serve the Democratic National Committee with a fraud lawsuit.
Read more about Seth Rich here. DC police told Heavy recently that there were no public updates in his case:
Seth Rich: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
Seth Rich was a DNC data analyst who was murdered in Washington D.C. Conspiracy theories are raging. What really happened to him?
is a Heavy contributor. She was a crime, government, and breaking news reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and reporter for the Waukesha Freeman newspaper. Her award-winning work has appeared in numerous magazine, newspaper, and online publications. She has also appeared as a crime reporter on Investigation Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Oxygen Channel. She can be reached by email at jessica.mcbride@heavy.com.
