PCP ingestion is what caused the death of the man who fatally beat a Forest Hill minister with an electric guitar in October, the Tarrant County medical examiner ruled Tuesday.
Derrick Birdow's "sudden death [was] associated with phencyclidine ingestion," and the manner of death was accidental, Medical Examiner Nizam Peerwani ruled.
"We suspected very early on, based on his behavior, that we might be looking at PCP, just based on prior experience and our knowledge of that drug," Forest Hill police Chief Dan Dennis said Tuesday.
Peerwani did not find that the Taser shocks contributed to Birdow's death, said Linda Anderson, a spokeswoman for the medical examiner's office.
Dennis said the autopsy found only one puncture wound from the Taser in Birdow's body, indicating that only one of the Taser's two prongs made contact.
PCP is an illegal drug abused for hallucinogenic effect. It often causes severe mood disorders, paranoia and hostility, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Its effects on the body "can be accompanied by a sense of strength and invulnerability," according to a DEA online fact sheet.
Read more in Deanna Boyd's report.
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/02/12/4617078/forest-hill-pastors-killer-was.html#storylink=cpy