Tolland County resident Charles R. Lewis III, age 24 from the town of Ellington, was arrested on a warrant on Monday, Jan. 8 for his supposed connection to a man’s September 2023 death, according to the Connecticut State Police.
Just after 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023, a 24-year-old man (whose name has not been released) was found dead in his Ellington bedroom of what was determined to be an overdose of fentanyl and xylazine, a sedative.
The man was visiting home for a few days in between stints at a sober living program. A witness said that he was 90 days sober when he returned to Ellington.
An investigation found that on the day before his death, the victim contacted Lewis III on Snapchat asking to buy “fet."
After sending Lewis III money over PayPal for the drugs, the conversation continued, with the two talking about how the victim wanted just “a minuscule fet hit.”
When Lewis III warned him not to do too much, the victim wrote in an eerie message, “No I won’t I’m not tryna [sic] od,” according to the arrest warrant.
The two continued to coordinate the dropoff over Snapchat messages and phone calls, eventually agreeing that Lewis III would put the drugs in a mailbox for the victim to pick up at approximately 8 p.m. that day.
Hours later, the man was found dead.
Investigators with the CSP reported that Lewis III had drug paraphernalia in his bedroom, including the same wax paper folds – containing fentanyl powder – that were found at the scene of the overdose.
Lewis III has been charged with manslaughter and the sale of narcotics.
He was scheduled to be arraigned at Rockville Superior Court on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
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