DA: 4th Defendent Guilty in 2013 Overdose Death of Dallas Musician

The fourth defendant in the overdose death of a Dallas, Ga., man in 2014 was convicted late Friday afternoon, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office said.

Robin Denig was charged with involuntary manslaughter for her role in the May 24, 2013 death of Michael “Topper” Duffy, 24, who prosecutors said was left to die next to a garbage dumpster after he was overdosing on methamphetamine and morphine.

The other defendants in the case, Zach Shipp, Kaleigh Denig and Garry Stimphill have also been convicted. Sentencing is set for Feb. 16 in front of Judge William H. “Beau” McClain, the DA’s office said in a Sunday Facebook post.

Prosecutors said Robin Denig, Kaleigh Denig and Shipp failed to call 911 or take Duffy to the hospital because they didn’t want to get in trouble, and, according to testimony, because Robin Denig “didn’t want that drama at her house.”

They called Stimphill, a co-worker of Denig’s at Dollar General, to help them move Duffy and drop him off a dumpster behind the store, according to evidence presented in court. Duffy was still living at the time, prosecutors charged.

Duffy, a promising musician from Dallas, was found dead the next day.

“This was a terrible tragedy that could have been avoided if the defendants had shown any concern at all for the victim,” District Attorney Brian Fortner said in the Facebook post. “Instead they discarded a human life next to a dumpster. Michael Duffy deserved better than that. While nothing will bring Topper back, the jury’s verdict ensures some sense of justice for the family.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Steve Knittel.

Shipp has a well-documented criminal history, including carjackings last year in Hiram and Atlanta. In early August, he allegedly threatened to kill a woman when stealing her car at the Racetrac gas station on Jimmy Lee Parkway in Hiram. Shipp also reportedly faces charges in DeKalb and Cobb counties.

(Photos: Robin Denig, Zach Shipp; Douglas County DA Facebook)

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