Judge limits drug‑history evidence, questions jurors about fentanyl in Lowenthal manslaughter case

A Jefferson County judge on the record before jury selection granted several motions in limine restricting what witnesses may say about the decedent's prior drug rehabilitation and forbade lay witnesses from identifying chemical substances or offering expert opinions about quantities in the manslaughter case against Harry Francis Lowenthal (cause no. 24DCCR1911).

The rulings came during a pretrial hearing and the start of voir dire in the 252nd District Court. Judge Raquel West said she would "grant the motion in limine at this point" as to historical references to the decedent's drug rehabilitation, while allowing evidence of drug use immediately preceding death if later shown relevant. The court also granted the defense request to bar lay witnesses from stating the chemical identity of substances or opining whether amounts are consistent with…