Fentanyl Dealer Guilty Of Two Counts Of 1st Degree Murder In Overdose Cases

BAY COUNTY, FL – A fentanyl dealer whose drugs caused 2 overdose deaths was found guilty of two counts of 1st Degree Murder (Death Caused by the Unlawful Distribution of Fentanyl) in the first case of its kind in the 14th Judicial Circuit, State Attorney, Larry Basford, said.

George William Myers, 38, of Youngstown, was charged with delivering the fentanyl that caused the overdose deaths of Loreen C. LaPlant and Christopher J. Dempsey within hours of each other on April 12, 2022.

A jury deliberated for an hour Friday evening after Circuit Chief Assistant State Attorney Mark Graham gave his closing argument before returning verdicts of guilty as charged. Circuit Judge Brantley Clark gave the defendant the mandatory Life sentence on each charge and ordered they be served consecutively.

“Selling fentanyl is a dangerous business and defendant George Myers learned that on April 12, 2022, when the fentanyl he distributed killed 2 people and almost killed a third,” Graham said after the verdict. “Fentanyl is the No. 1 drug in the country for overdose deaths. The law harshly penalizes people who sell fentanyl and they’ve made it a capital felony murder, and this defendant deserves these 2 Life sentences.”

There are a handful of cases, mainly in South Florida, where defendants are awaiting trial on charges of murder with the death caused by unlawful distribution of fentanyl. In Marion County (Orlando), a man was convicted of First Degree Murder under that statute last year.

In Myers’ case, he was charged with distributing fentanyl that resulted in two overdose deaths in one day, hours apart, and nearly killed a third person who overdosed but was saved.

Graham called 9 witnesses, ranging from a co-defendant who is facing sentencing for his role in the death, to an expert who testified about the toxic levels of fentanyl in the victims’ blood.

Graham’s first witness testified he drove to the defendant’s home April 12, 2022, and bought $40 worth of fentanyl. He said he shared it with LaPlant, who was staying there, and he overdosed and passed out as he walked out the door. LaPlant also overdosed. Bay County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a 911 call at 3:18 p.m. and when they arrived, the witness was unconscious in the front yard, the victim was deceased in her bedroom, and the defendant had fled.

At about the same time, Sheriff’s Deputies were called to another suspected overdose on Bayhead Court where they found Christopher Dempsey, who was pronounced dead a short time later, unconscious.

A witness said defendant Myers provided the fentanyl that she and the victim used.

Dr. Thomas Coyne, Medical Examiner for the 8th Judicial Circuit, testified he reviewed the autopsy findings from both deaths and determined LaPlant had 4 to 5 times the lethal amount of fentanyl in her blood, and Dempsey had about 3 times the lethal limit. Graham said Coyne’s testimony was crucial to the State’s case, since the defense brought its own expert. One of the greatest dangers of fentanyl use is its potency, up to 50 times greater than heroin and 100 times greater than morphine. Fentanyl sold on the streets is most commonly made in illegal, clandestine labs so the potency varies from package to package, sometimes from dose to dose.

The defendant admitted to investigators that he supplied the fentanyl and that he did not “cut it” like he “should have” and knew he was selling a more potent dosage.

Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office deputies and investigators for their thorough work that helped lead to a successful prosecution, and Dr. Coyne for his testimony.