Lawsuit alleges prescription drugs were factor in Kristy Ragsdale murder

SALT LAKE CITY — Her grandson's nightmares are finally gone, but Ann Palizzi still lays awake some nights thinking about her daughter's murder.

Palizzi had a bad feeling leading up to Jan. 6, 2008 — her daughter Kristy Ragsdale's 30th birthday — but never did she think her daughter's husband would pull up to a church parking lot in Lehi and shoot her daughter 13 times, killing her.

The memories are back now that a lawsuit was filed Monday against Pioneer Comprehensive Medical Clinic and a doctor and nurse working there. The suit alleges the steroids and drugs prescribed for and taken by convicted murderer David Ragsdale were a factor in the slaying.

The lawsuit was filed by court-appointed representative William Jeffs on behalf of the Ragsdales' now 6- and 3-year-old sons.

It alleges that family nurse practitioner Trina West, who worked at the Draper clinic, 12433 Fort St., began prescribing two of what would become several medications on April 16, 2007: two powerful steroids called testosterone and pregnenolone, which are listed as schedule III controlled substances. On May 2, West increased David Ragsdale's doses of both drugs.

The lawsuit states that in each instance, West did not consult the physician over her, Dr. Hugo Rodier, or any other medical doctor about placing Ragsdale on the drugs or increasing the dosages.

On July 9, 2007, the lawsuit alleges, West added Concerta, a psychostimulant drug known as methylphenidate that has similar risks associated with methamphetamine, to the drugs Ragsdale was taking.

West allegedly diagnosed Ragsdale with attention deficit disorder to justify the prescription for Concerta, the suit states.

On Sept. 5, the dosage of Concerta was doubled from 36 milligrams to 72 mg per day.

Just a few months later, on Dec. 20, Kristy Ragsdale obtained a restraining order against David Ragsdale, the day before he returned to the Draper clinic, and according to the lawsuit, was experiencing "toxic side effects from the combination of his prescribed medications."

Besides Concerta at 54 mg daily and the two steroids Pregnenolone at 600 mg daily and Testosterone at 200 mg weekly, Ragsdale was also taking the tranquilizer Valium at 5 mg daily, anti depressants Doxepin at 100 mg and Paxil at 40 mg daily. He was also taking a hair-loss medication, Propecia, at 1 mg daily.

Blood toxicology reports showed Ragsdale was within the prescribed ranges of all his medications and found no traces of any illicit substances at the time of the shooting.