Norwalk man gets 10 years in fatal heroin case

A Norwalk man convicted of giving a friend and co-worker a fatal dose of heroin that caused her early-morning overdose was sentenced Wednesday to serve 10 years in prison. 

Jurors in March convicted Travis Wayne West of involuntary manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance following a trial in which prosecutors accused the 30-year-old of securing heroin for Bailey Jo Brady, a Valley High School graduate who studied psychology at Drake University.  

Brady, 26, overdosed in June 2015 on heroin around 5:15 a.m. at a West Des Moines apartment where she was hanging out with West, 30, and his brother. West denied that he gave Brady the drug, but prosecutors won a conviction based partly on phone records showing calls between West and his drug dealer. 

West, who has been in treatment for his own heroin addiction since Brady's death, turned and apologized at the morning sentencing to her parents. Her mother, Bobbie Areges, and stepfather, West Des Moines police Lt. Steven Areges, sat together in a back row of the courtroom. Despite his conviction, West adamantly denied giving their daughter the heroin that killed her. 

"I tried everything to save her that night, me and my brother did," he said. "I stand by my story I did not give her any heroin that night. I will stand by that till the end of time. I'm just really sad we're here today." 

However, Judge Robert Blink noted in handing down the sentence that West had been with Brady when she previously overdosed in July 2014. Blink ruled that there was enough direct and circumstantial evidence presented at the trial to uphold the verdict against West. "You delivered heroin to someone who you knew was an addict," he said.

Blink also spoke about a pretrial investigation report in which West admitted that he began abusing alcohol and marijuana as an early teen. The judge rejected a request from West's attorneys to put him on probation so that he could continue his current treatment regimen. 

"No doubt you are an addict, but that's your choice," Blink said. "That was your election. And over the past 17 years since you started using alcohol and drugs, every day you have had an opportunity not to do them."

As part of the sentence, West will be required to pay $150,000 in restitution to Brady's estate. There is no mandatory minimum sentence that West will be required to serve before he is eligible for parole. West was led out of the room in handcuffs, but defense attorney Timothy Duffey said he expected he would be freed from jail on Thursday on a $10,000 bond while the case is on appeal.

Bobbie Areges said after the hearing that she believes West and her daughter met through her part-time job at the Funny Bone, a West Des Moines comedy club. Areges said she's not certain exactly how her once-thriving daughter was introduced to heroin, but she believes her addiction may have had its roots in prescription painkillers. 

Areges said she hopes West stays drug-free but was disappointed to hear him dismiss the conviction. Both families involved have suffered, she said. 

"I don't know that anybody with an addiction can heal unless they're honest with themselves, so that's sad for me," she said.