Escambia grand jury indicts Pensacola man for murder after fentanyl customer overdoses
The Office of the State Attorney announced Wednesday that an Escambia County grand jury indicted a Pensacola man for first-degree murder for allegedly selling a fatal dose of fentanyl.
Quantae Solethia Sanders, 38, was indicted Tuesday with first-degree murder through causing death by the unlawful distribution of fentanyl. He is allegedly responsible for the death of Christopher West who died Jan. 18 after overdosing on the fentanyl he allegedly bought from Sanders.
"During the course of a death investigation from January 2023, it was determined that (West) died from fentanyl intoxication," an earlier Pensacola police press release said. "Sanders was developed as the suspected fentanyl dealer."
First-degree murder in Florida is a capital felony, so, if Sanders is convicted, the only legal sentence a judge can provide is life in prison. Sanders is set for arraignment Friday.
Other Escambia County overdose cases have resulted in homicide charges
Under Florida law, a person can be charged with first-degree murder if that person unlawfully distributed a controlled substance and someone dies as a result of the controlled substance.
PPD spokesperson Mike Wood said there are various ways investigators can find drug dealers, but it can sometimes be hard to track overdoses back to the dealer, especially if the person who overdoses dies.
Sanders arrested: PPD: Pensacola man arrested for homicide after selling fentanyl to person who later died
While somewhat infrequent, there have been multiple other instances where an individual has faced homicide charges after allegedly selling or supplying someone else with narcotics.
Pamela Schwarz
In 2022, Escambia County Jail inmate Pamela Schwarz was indicted with first-degree murder after she allegedly snuck fentanyl into her cell and gave some to her cellmate 52-year-old Shirley Barney on May 25. Barney then had an overdose and died, but not before Schwarz allegedly flushed the remaining drugs down the toilet.
Several hours later, corrections officers found the 52-year-old unresponsive.
Schwarz is currently serving a 20-month sentence for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possessing drug equipment, according to court records. She is awaiting her next court date scheduled for Oct. 11.
James Mitchell
James Mitchell was sentenced to life in prison May 21, 2018, in connection with the overdose death of victim Donald Davis.
Over a two-day trial, state prosecutors presented witness testimony that on Jan. 30, 2014, Mitchell sold black tar heroin to the Davis and a group of others. Davis’ wife found him deceased at their home later that evening.
Along with his homicide by delivery of heroin sentence, Mitchell was issued a separate 25-year sentence for trafficking in heroin, conspiracy to possess heroin and resisting an officer with violence.
Marcus Dewayne Jackson
On Sept. 20, 2017, an Escambia County jury convicted Marcus Dewayne Jackson of homicide by delivery of a controlled substance.
On Nov. 20, 2015, the Pensacola Police Department found Jim Cady deceased in a halfway house on Barcelona Street in Pensacola. An investigation determined that Jackson sold a quantity of heroin to Cady the previous day. A medical examiner’s report determined that heroin was Cady’s cause of death.
Jackson was ultimately sentenced to life in prison.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola man Quantae Sanders indicted in fentanyl overdose death
