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2 • BAY AREA REPORTER • March 3-9, 2016
Report: Theater director died from mix of drugs by Seth Hemmelgarn
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he death last fall of a widely praised director of San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater was the result of an accidental drug overdose, the medical examiner’s office has ruled. Mark Rucker, 56, who was an associate artistic director at the theater, died from “combined toxicity of opioids and benzodiazepines,” according to the agency’s report, which it released last week. Rucker was found dead August 25 at his home in the 600 block of 41st Avenue, in the city’s Outer Richmond neighborhood. The specific drugs listed as causing Rucker’s death were the painkillers oxymorphone and oxycodone, along with diazepam and alprazolam, which can be used to treat anxiety and other issues. Danny Scheie, of San Francisco, who said Rucker was “my best friend,” said of the findings, “This is what we suspected, I think, a mixture of prescription drugs and alcohol.” Scheie declined to elaborate on why he had suspected that, but the medical examiner’s office says, “There was evidence of alcohol containers” in Rucker’s in-law unit, and
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he “reportedly used to specific symptoms.” abuse alcohol.” The report Rucker and his exlists ethanol among the partner had broken up drugs found in his system, around February, and the but it doesn’t indicate it ex-partner indicated to contributed to his death. authorities that Rucker Vickie Wise, 69, of had been depressed, but Post Falls, Idaho, Rucker’s had “never expressed suiaunt, said of the medical cidal ideation and had no Courtesy ACT examiner’s ruling, “I don’t history of past attempts.” know anything about that. Mark Rucker The public version of the All we were told was that it report doesn’t list the exwas an accidental death.” partner’s name. Asked about whether she’d After a co-worker told him that known anything about him using Rucker had missed a rehearsal that drugs, Wise said, “Absolutely not. day, the ex-partner went to check on Nothing ever.” him. He found Rucker in his bed, Like many people, she recalled “unresponsive.” Paramedics tried Rucker’s kindness and generosity. unsuccessfully to resuscitate him, “He was just the nicest human and he was pronounced dead at being that I’ve ever met in my entire 4:44 p.m. life,” Wise said. “That includes my Among other items, investigaown children and grandchildren. ... tors found two bottles that weren’t He touched everyone he ever met. labeled and contained pills that were He touched them.” eventually identified as ibuprofen, Before his death, Rucker had rediazepam, and other drugs. cently directed ACT productions There was “no obvious external of Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play; trauma,” and no notes were found Maple and Vine, and other plays, as at the scene, the report says. Besides well as many of the theater’s Masters its other findings, the medical exof Fine Arts program productions. aminer’s office also noted heart and The medical examiner’s office says liver trouble. that for the week before he was found, Wise, Rucker’s aunt, said, “He’s Rucker had called in sick to work, loved and missed every day. Every but he’d reportedly “mentioned no day, he is so missed.”t
Review released in gay man’s fatal hit-and-run by Seth Hemmelgarn
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ore than three months after he was fatally struck by a car while riding his scooter, police have not provided any updates in the death of gay San Francisco resident Dennis Nix. Police have described the November incident that killed the popular certified financial planner as a hit-andrun. In a report released this week, the medical examiner’s office adds that the car that hit Nix, which sustained damage from the accident, was still at the scene when investigators arrived. Shortly after the incident, Officer Grace Gatpandan, a police spokeswoman, said the car was “a light-colored sedan,” but no other information has ever been released about the vehicle. The medical examiner’s office
Gay man’s death ruled accidental overdose by Seth Hemmelgarn
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says the cause of death near the Monterey Avenue was “multiple blunt force exit. The other vehicle kept injuries,” including skull going but finally stopped fractures, fractured ribs, near San Jose and Ocean and his left lower leg being avenues, more than half a nearly amputated. Nix’s mile away. death was an accident, the Other motorists who report says. arrived at the scene found Nix, 60, whom friends Nix “unresponsive in the remembered as a gregariroadway and called emerous, well-traveled com- Dennis Nix gency services.” He was munity fundraiser, was declared dead at 2:20 a.m. also a member of various LGBT When medical examiner’s invessports clubs. He had just attended tigators arrived after 3, Nix was still the FrontRunners annual holiday lying in the road, covered by an emerdinner before the accident, which gency blanket. His scooter was nearby, occurred near his home in the Sunwith “significant damage” to the rear. nyside neighborhood. The helmet that Nix had reportedly According to the medical examinworn was also near the scene. er’s office, Nix was riding his scooter The vehicle that had “reportedly south on San Jose Avenue at about 2 struck” Nix had “significant dama.m. November 22 when another veSee page 3 >> hicle going the same way struck him
gay San Francisco man whose death the medical examiner’s office had deemed “suspicious” died of an accidental drug overdose, the agency recently ruled. Peter Huerta, 51, was found dead last fall in his Sanchez Street apartment in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood. At the time, Officer Albie Esparza, a police spokesman, said the medical examiner’s office ruled Huerta’s death was suspicious because his Tshirt had been torn and he was lying face down in his bed when a friend found him September 23. But in its report, released last week, the medical examiner’s office says Huerta died from acute mixed drug intoxication. Methamphetamine and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, better known as GHB, are
listed as the drugs. Will Nickerson, 52, Huerta’s partner of 14 years, told the Bay Area Reporter that Huerta “was a wonderful, wonderful person who was extremely giving. ... He was out to help a lot of people, even those people who are on the street.” According to the medical examiner’s office, Nickerson, who didn’t live with Huerta and isn’t mentioned by name in the report, had been away on a business trip and told officials that Huerta “had been depressed” after his mother’s recent death, but there hadn’t been any other problems. Huerta “was last reliably seen alive by a neighbor” at about 3 p.m. September 21, the report says. Nickerson became worried after he called Huerta September 23 and didn’t get an answer. He asked a mutual friend to check on him, and
when the friend and Huerta’s building manager entered his apartment, they found him “unresponsive on the bed.” They called emergency medical services, who pronounced Huerta dead at 1:10 p.m. A friend of Huerta’s approached police at Huerta’s apartment and said he and Huerta had gone there and used meth and GHB, the medical examiner’s report says. They were having sex when Huerta “became unresponsive,” the friend reported. He stopped having sex with Huerta and, worried that Huerta’s “shirt may restrict his breathing,” he “tore the shirt,” left the apartment without getting help, “and locked the door.” Two glass pipes were at the scene, along with “a vial and plastic bags conSee page 10 >>