Man arraigned for charges in drug death of Middletown couple

Lauren Pack, Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio
·2 min read

Aug. 27—A man indicted earlier this summer for allegedly furnishing a Middletown couple with drugs that killed them was arraigned Thursday in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

David Quinn, 40, of Young Street, was indicted by a Butler County grand jury on June 16 for two counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of corrupting another with drugs and trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound, all felonies. Law enforcement had been looking for Quinn since the indictment was handed down.

Brandon McQueen, 38, and Rebecca McQueen, 42, were found dead in their Auburn Street home on Nov. 20 by a family member, according to the Middletown police report. Drugs were found at the residence, including "four lines of a white powdery substance," according to police.

Quinn is accused of supplying the drugs to the couple that resulted in their death.

Judge Keith Spaeth set Quinn's bond at $100,000 and he is scheduled to be back in court for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 13.

Quinn was arrested in Warren County and booked into Butler County Jail on Tuesday, according to the Butler County Sheriff's Office.

The Butler County Coroner's Office ruled the McQueens died of toxicity from cocaine and fentanyl. The deaths were ruled an accident by the coroner's office.

Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser said a coroner's ruling on manner of death is different than criminal law definitions, especially when people are supplying drugs to others.

"The coroner's convention of language differs from the criminal usage of language," Gmoser said. "Nobody is going to be able to defend that this was an accidental death as far as the law. As far as the coroner's concerned, it is an accident. As far as prosecutors are concerned and the criminal law of Ohio is concerned, it's a crime."

"We are using every means possible to address the drug problem and hold people responsible that profit from people's addiction," said Middletown Police Maj. Scott Reeve said in June when the indictment was released.