A man has been sentenced to prison in connection with the overdose death of his friend.
Police initially accused Casey Trichel, 25, of selling counterfeit drugs to his friend, Joe Patterson.
They said he told Patterson the drugs were oxycodone, but knew that it was actually fentanyl, a drug often used for cancer patients.
Patterson overdosed and died in April. Trichel was originally facing trial for murder.
The new law the victim’s mother is proposing to reduce deaths caused by fentanyl on Channel 2 Action News starting at 4 p.m.
The prosecutor said in court Monday morning they had no proof that Trichel intentionally sold his friend fentanyl.
The judge agreed to a plea deal that dropped the murder charge to involuntary manslaughter.
Trichel has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Channel 2’s Tom Regan spoke to the victim’s mother following the sentence.
“If somebody had just called 911, this whole tragedy could have been alleviated, and the lives of two young men may not have been destroyed,” Patterson’s mother, Lisa Hicks, said. “This has had a domino effect and the lives of many people have been hurt.”
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