Mission Viejo Drug Dealer Sentenced in Overdose Death of Young Woman

By PAUL ANDERSON

A 37-year-old Mission Viejo drug dealer was sentenced today to four years behind bars, well past what he’s already served since his arrest in the overdose death of a girlfriend.

Louis Richard Wood pleaded guilty April 22 to involuntary manslaughter in a deal with prosecutors, who dropped a murder charge.

Wood was indicted in March 2013 in connection with the Nov. 16, 2011 death of 21-year-old Emma Wihlborg in a Lake Forest hotel room.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals gave Wood credit for 1,836 days in jail, or 376 more than he needed to be released from custody today. The additional time will be applied to his parole, Goethals said.

The victim’s mother, Lee Wohlfert, said after the hearing that she was OK with the plea deal because Wood has signaled he wants to remain sober. Wohlfert said she has gotten involved with SOLACE -- or Surviving Our Loss with Awareness, Compassion and Empathy -- a local organization that helps families cope with a loved one who has died from a drug overdose.

“We wish him every success in that,” Wohlfert said. “It’s a struggle and I really wish him the very best.”

Wohlfert received an assurance from Wood’s attorney, Cori Ferrentino, that she can speak with the defendant about what happened the night her daughter died. Wohlfert believes Wood could have done more to help save her such as calling 911 or driving her to a nearby hospital and dropping her off.

Wihlborg grew up in Sweden as her father is from there, Wohlfert said. The victim had some trouble adjusting to the U.S. culture when they moved her after she graduated high school, her mother said.

She suffered from panic attacks and a physician prescribed Xanax. Her addiction grew from there, Wohlfert said.

“When she came here she was 19 and she had to make all new friends from scratch,” Wohlfert said.

Wihlborg had a passion for electronic music and enjoyed going out with friends dancing, her mother said.

Prosecutors ran into problems with the case when blood evidence from the victim was destroyed by the Orange County Crime Laboratory because the victim’s death was not initially considered a criminal matter, said Senior Deputy District Attorney Howard Gundy. After reviewing the evidence, prosecutors agreed involuntary manslaughter was a more appropriate charge, he added.

Wihlborg approached Wood to get some heroin, Gundy said. Wood was staying at the Extended Stay America Hotel in Lake Forest at the time and the two would do drugs and have sex together, the prosecutor said.

“She was very high, drunk and irrational and wanted heroin,” Gundy said of the victim. “So they smoked heroin and then she wanted more heroin.”

Wood didn’t have any more of the drug, so he gave her a methadone pill and the two “cuddled up” and fell asleep, Gundy said.

When Wood awoke the next morning, Wihlborg could not be roused, so he went out to get some methamphetamine because he figured that would wake her up, Gundy said.

His car ran out of gas and he encountered other complications getting the drug, so it was two hours before he got back to the hotel room. By then, the victim was dead, Gundy said.

Wood’s attorney, Cori Ferrentino, said Wood tried to do his best to revive the victim.

The defense attorney said Wihlborg’s death so affected Wood that he quit drugs.

City News Service