A woman has been arrested in connection with the suspected overdose death of Leandro De Niro-Rodriguez, the grandson of Oscar-winner Robert De Niro, law enforcement sources have confirmed.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York confirmed Sofia Haley Marks’ arrest on Friday and charged her with the killing of the 19-year-old, who was found dead at his Manhattan apartment on July 2. She is expected to be arraigned on drug-related charges Friday.
The Associated Press reported that Marks, 20, was arrested Thursday by New York City police officers and federal drug agents on charges of selling drugs to De Niro-Rodriguez.
Actor and producer Drena De Niro, Robert De Niro’s eldest daughter with ex-wife Diahnne Abbott, said earlier this month that her son died after he was allegedly sold fentanyl-laced pills. She shared details about her son’s death in response to an Instagram user who asked her “how” and “why” he died after no cause of death was initially given.
De Niro-Rodriguez, an actor like his grandfather and mother, appeared with his mother in Bradley Cooper’s 2018 remake of “A Star Is Born.”
Reacting to his grandson’s death in early July, “The Godfather Part II” and “Raging Bull” Oscar winner Robert De Niro said that he was “deeply distressed by the passing of my beloved grandson Leo.” De Niro-Rodriguez’s death came shortly after news broke that Robert De Niro welcomed his seventh child, his first with partner Tiffany Chen.
Law enforcement has reportedly been treating De Niro-Rodriguez’s death as a possible overdose after a white powdery substance and drug paraphernalia were found near the teenager’s body, according to TMZ and the New York Post. Marks, the Post said, is an alleged drug dealer known as the “Percocet Princess” and has been federally charged with the distribution of narcotics.
Drena De Niro has not yet publicly commented on the arrest. A representative for Robert De Niro told the L.A. Times on Friday that the family is not issuing a statement at this time.
