Murder charges filed against woman suspected of supplying drugs to Marine

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·3 min read
Marine Cpl. Marshall Alex Luppke, 21, who lived in Yucca Valley, was laid to rest with full military honors in April 2021. Murder charges have been filed on Alicia Hegarty, 47, of Arizona, who is suspected of supplying him with drugs, which lead to his death, sheriff's officials said.
Marine Cpl. Marshall Alex Luppke, 21, who lived in Yucca Valley, was laid to rest with full military honors in April 2021. Murder charges have been filed on Alicia Hegarty, 47, of Arizona, who is suspected of supplying him with drugs, which lead to his death, sheriff's officials said.

An Arizona woman is behind bars after being accused of giving drugs to a Marine who overdosed and died.

Alicia Hegarty, 47, of Sierra Vista, Arizona, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of the overdose murder of Marshall Alex Luppke, 21, of Yucca Valley, San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials reported.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Gloria Huerta on Friday confirmed that Luppke was enlisted in the Marine Corps.

Hegarty’s arrest south of Tucson was in conjunction with the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, sheriff’s officials said.

Hegarty is being held on $1 million bail and will face extradition from Arizona before being extradited to San Bernardino County.

On March 14, 2021, the department's Gangs/Narcotics Division's Overdose Response Team responded to the drug overdose death of Luppke in the 55200 block of Airlane Drive in Yucca Valley.

Investigators identified Hegarty as the suspect who gave the drugs to Luppke, sheriff’s officials said.

After the investigation and autopsy results were received, the case was presented to San Bernardino County prosecutors. Murder charges were filed shortly after.

Sheriff's officials did not say what kind of drug caused the overdose.

Marine Cpl. Marshall Alex Luppke, 21, lived in Yucca Valley and served at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. He was laid to rest with full military honors in April 2021.
Marine Cpl. Marshall Alex Luppke, 21, lived in Yucca Valley and served at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. He was laid to rest with full military honors in April 2021.

Cpl. Luppke

A native of Rapid City, South Dakota, Luppke lived in Lakeville, Minnesota, according to White Funeral Home.

Luppke later served at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms.

After his death, Luppke’s family and the Marine Corps invited the SoCal Patriot Guard Riders to accompany their fallen hero to Ontario International Airport.

Cpl. Luppke was escorted to the airport, where his flag-draped body was placed into a white hearse, a video on the Honoring Our Fallen YouTube channel shows.

Luppke was then escorted by several Ontario Police vehicles to a Southwest Airlines plane, where the Marines and police conducted an Honorable Transfer Ceremony as the fallen Marine was placed into the aircraft.

A voice on the aircraft’s public address system said, “Today we have the honor and sad privilege of transporting an American veteran to their final resting place. This Marine devotedly served our nation, and we at Southwest Airlines express our sincere condolences to the family of this patriot.”

In Minnesota, Marines received Luppke from the aircraft and transported his flag-draped coffin to a waiting hearse, which took him to the funeral home. On April 1, 2021, Luppke was laid to rest with full military honors

“He was a dedicated Marine who is spoken of highly by all who knew him and all that served alongside him,” Honoring the Fallen officials said.

Addressing the overdose trend

In February 2021, the SBC Sheriff's Department created a pilot program in response to the growing epidemic of overdose deaths from opioids.

In July 2022, a full-time team was created, and additional resources were dedicated to the team. The team comprises investigators from the Sheriff's Department and the SBC District Attorney's Office Bureau of Investigation.

Sheriff’s officials said drug trafficking organizations are producing counterfeit pharmaceutical pills containing fentanyl and putting fentanyl in drugs like cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.

Due to this trend, the sheriff’s personnel are seeing an unprecedented rise in drug overdose deaths in SBC and across the country, especially among the youth.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked by the Sheriff’s Department to contact the Gangs/Narcotics Division at 909-387-8400. Callers can remain anonymous by contacting We-Tip at 800-78CRIME or wetip.com.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Murder charges filed against woman suspected of giving drugs to Marine