Tanya Holtz, 25, has agreed to plead guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter for her involvement in the death of her then-husband, Donald Metz.

Metz, 27, was discovered deceased in his bed in early September 2006.

Holtz was arrested and charged with his murder after an autopsy revealed that Metz had died of a lethal dose of methadone, a drug often used to treat heroin addiction.

According to the Nye County Sheriff's Office, its investigation revealed that Holtz had gone to a mutual friend, Chris Feingold, and received approximately a dozen methadone pills.

Holtz pleaded not guilty at her arraignment last March. At that time she was charged with second-degree murder.

But District Attorney Bob Beckett said that further investigation by his office indicated that the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter was more appropriate in this case.

Beckett said that Feingold's father told investigators that Donald Metz was actually with Holtz when she got the pills.

"There's no evidence to indicate that Tanya forced him to take the pills at all," Beckett said. "Now we feel that the appropriate charge is involuntary manslaughter."

However, Melissa Metz, the mother of the victim, is livid about the plea agreement.

"This is the biggest injustice I've ever seen in my life," Melissa Metz said. "They've turned my son's death certificate into a coupon for the DA's office. They get to save money and keep their win ratio up."

In response to Feingold's report that her son had shown up in Holtz's company when she acquired the methadone, Melissa Metz bluntly retorted: "That's a lie. It's just one of [Holtz's] many stories."

According to Melissa Metz, Holtz had told several people that she got the pills while Donald Metz was away at work.

"It warrants more investigation than they've given it," Melissa Metz said of the case.

Holtz is scheduled to appear for sentencing in Fifth District Court on Sept. 11.

The charge carries the possibility of from one to four years in prison.