Muncie man convicted in fentanyl deal that led to teen's fatal overdose

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie man was convicted Tuesday of trafficking fentanyl that led to the overdose death of a local teenager.

After presiding over a trial last week, Delaware Circuit Court 4 Judge John Feick found Ricky Lamiez Taylor, 24, guilty of aiding, inciting or causing the sale of a controlled substance resulting in death, a level 1 felony punishable by up to 40 years. in prison.

The judge found Taylor not guilty of a second count of the same crime, also relating to the overdose death of another Delaware County teen.

Taylor was also convicted of two other counts, drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, both level 5 felonies carrying a maximum sentence of six years.

Feick set sentencing for July 17.

More: Muncie woman gets 32 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl leading to fatal overdose

During the bench trial — in which a judge, not a jury, renders a verdict — Chief Deputy Prosecutor Zach Craig and Deputy Prosecutor Andrew Ramirez said Taylor provided the fentanyl to a co-defendant, Jaxon W. Engle, 18, of Albany. , which in turn provided the drug to teenagers who succumbed to fatal overdoses.

Engle was scheduled to go on trial this week in Delaware Circuit Court 1 on five drug-related charges – including counts of trafficking in a controlled substance resulting in death and aiding, abetting or causing the same offense – but his trial was postponed.

Questioned after his latest arrest in November, Taylor admitted that he regularly sold “blue M30” pills and that he had sold them to Engle.

His defense attorneys, Peter Capofari and Angelus Kocoshis, argued there was not enough evidence to prove their client sold the pills that led to the deaths.

Taylor did not testify during last week's trial.

In a press release issued Tuesday, Ramirez said, “To our knowledge, this may be the first time a higher-tier provider has been held accountable for an overdose death linked to its distribution network. »

Taylor was sentenced to time already served in prison in January 2018 after pleading guilty to criminal recklessness in the 2017 shooting of a Muncie man. As a result of this felony conviction, he is prohibited from possessing fire arms.

Taylor is charged in four other criminal cases pending in Delaware County courts and one case in Madison County.

In one of those cases, he was charged in August with intimidation, a Level 6 felony punishable by up to 30 months in prison, in Delaware's 3rd Circuit Court. In mid-July, he allegedly made threats on Facebook Live to “smoke” a 47-year-old Muncie female if he determined she played a role in his friend's recent homicide.

In a separate case, Taylor was charged Aug. 30 in Circuit Court 3 with grand larceny, a Level 5 felony, and two Level 6 felonies, intimidation and auto theft. Muncie police said that on Aug. 21, Taylor stole his car from a local man in front of the victim's home on the south side. He was arrested later that day after crashing the vehicle in Yorktown.

In yet another case, the Muncie man was charged Oct. 16 with unlawful carrying of a handgun, a level 5 felony, and resisting law enforcement, a level 6 felony, before Circuit Court 3. In that case, Muncie police said Taylor On August 30, he posted images of himself on Facebook Live brandishing a gun and threatening to shoot people.

Douglas Walker is a journalist at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or [email protected].

Lina Portman

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