District Attorney Budelmann announced today that accused drug dealer Michael Chapman, of the Town of Throop, pled guilty to Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class C Felony, for selling a bundle of heroin laced with a fentanyl compound which resulted in the fatal overdose of the victim.
In September, Chapman pled guilty to five counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, Class B Felonies, and one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class B Felony, involving unrelated sales of heroin laced with fentanyl compound to undercover members of the New York State Police between May and August of 2020. Chapman faces ten (10) years, followed by 2 years of post-release supervision on those charges. The Court promised to impose a concurrent sentence of no more than an indeterminate term of 4 to 12 years of imprisonment on the Manslaughter charge. The maximum sentence for Manslaughter in the Second Degree is 5 to 15 years. The District Attorney’s Office will make a sentencing recommendation following a Pre-Sentence Investigation Report.
During his guilty plea, Chapman admitted that he consciously disregarded the known risk of a fatal overdose when he sold a bundle of heroin laced with a fentanyl compound, which caused the victim to suffer a fatal overdose, thereby recklessly causing the victim’s death.
Chapman confessed to selling the drugs to the victim, despite knowing that the heroin contained fentanyl. At the time he sold the lethal combination of drugs to the victim, he was released on pending felony charges for sale and possession of heroin laced fentanyl in County Court due to the New York State bail reform laws.
“We need to hold drug dealers accountable for the death and destruction they are causing, and that is precisely what this guilty plea does," Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci said. "This defendant was on notice that the drugs he possessed and sold contained both heroin and fentanyl. Despite this knowledge, he did not stop selling that product, which is the epitome of recklessness."
Detective Sean DeRosa of the Auburn Police Department conducted a nine-month long investigation into the fatal overdose of the victim that occurred on January 18, 2021.
The investigation, which included cell phone analyses, revealed evidence that Chapman sold the lethal combination of heroin and fentanyl that caused the victim’s overdose death. The victim left behind two small children.
“New York States needs to step up as a leader in the fight against the heroin epidemic and pass a statute which allows for the prosecution of those individuals who sell drugs that cause the death of another person.” Antonacci said. "District Attorney’s Offices around the State have been innovative in how these cases are being investigated and prosecuted. However, prosecution shouldn’t depend on cell phone messages or a confession in order to hold a drug dealer accountable for killing someone. We are thankful for the thorough investigation conducted by the Auburn Police Department, as well as the investigation into the narcotic sales by members of the New York State Police. This case sends a message to the People of Cayuga County: If you sell drugs and kill someone, we will do everything in our power to hold you accountable.”
Dep. Chief Assistant DA Brittany Grome Antonacci prosecuted the case. Sentencing is scheduled for December 21, 2021.