Fayette man charged with providing drugs behind fatal overdose
A Fayette County man is accused of selling the drugs that caused a man’s fatal overdose in Uniontown in August.
Christopher Spence, 34, of Hiller, is charged with drug delivery resulting in death, and possession with intent to deliver.
On Aug. 4, Uniontown police found Michael Marquis dead of an apparent overdose at a residence on Lenox Street. Near his body officers found drug paraphernalia and substances that tested positive for fentanyl and cocaine, according to Spence’s criminal complaint.
The Fayette County coroner’s office concluded Marquis had died from acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl-buprenorphine and cocaine.
Officers investigating the case learned Marquis had traveled to Brownsville the day before to meet with someone known as “Note,” who Marquis’ mother suspected sold her son the drugs, the complaint said. Through further investigation, they identified “Note” as Spence, court paperwork states.
Online chats and financial transactions further solidified the link between them, investigators wrote.
Snapchat messages extracted from Marquis’ cellphone showed messages between him and the “LoverBoiNote” account setting up a meeting the day before Marquis’ overdose.
The night of Aug. 3, Marquis sent $30 on Cash App to the “Note07” account, which had a profile picture of Spence, court paperwork stated.
Cellphone data from both men put them in the Brownsville area around 7:49 p.m., in line with the meeting time they had arranged, according to the complaint.
Spence had yet to be arraigned Friday morning.