There has been closure today for the family, biological and otherwise, of Slipknot bassist Paul Gray. An Iowa-based doctor has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after it was discovered that he had been over-prescribing medication to his patients, one of which being Gray.

The Des Moines Register (Via Loudwire) has reported that Physician Daniel Baldi has been found guilty of “unintentionally causing the death of Paul Gray by the commission of an act likely to cause death or serious injury, to-wit, continually wrote high-dose prescription narcotics to a known drug addict from 12/27/2005 until his death.”

A postmortem examination found that Gray had excessive amounts of both morphine and fentanyl in his system as well as suffering from a very advanced heart condition. The court has decided that had Baldi not supplied the amount of drugs he did, Gray would still be alive.

The long-term Slipknot Bassist was found dead in a hotel in Urbandale, Iowa, on May 24, 2010, aged 38. The band were shattered by the news and after assessing their situation, decided to push on, both for Gray, but also for themselves: curating their own festival, working on their new album and also releasing a best-of album very recently. The band has recruited Donnie Steele to handle the bass.

Baldi’s lawyer has argued that the decision is unprecedented in the state of Iowa and plan on challenging the ruling. Watch this space as more developments.

Update: The Clown has spoken: “Hopefully Justice Will Be Served” – Read more