Two Brevard residents indicted on murder charges in fentanyl overdoses

J.D. Gallop, Florida Today
Updated ·3 min read
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MELBOURNE — Two Brevard County residents have been arrested and jailed on murder charges in the fentanyl overdose deaths earlier this year of two people.

Investigators continue to make arrests in drug cases involving fentanyl, including drugs cut with the deadly pain killer.
Investigators continue to make arrests in drug cases involving fentanyl, including drugs cut with the deadly pain killer.

A Brevard County grand jury handed down the indictments last week after prosecutors were able to link the deaths of the two residents to the use of fentanyl delivered to them by two known "plugs," or dealers, of the deadly painkiller.

The two indictments also come a month after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, along with the sheriff's office and other agencies, netted 17 pounds of fentanyl and made 470 arrests in Operation United Front, a months-long multi-agency investigation into ongoing drug use in the county.

Fentanyl-related deaths on the Space Coast remain among the highest in the state, FDLE reported. In 2021, the latest year for statistics on drug-connected deaths, there were 304 drug overdose deaths, including 262 opioid-related deaths, FDLE said.

Lonnie Robinson, 49, of Cocoa, was charged with first-degree murder by distribution of a controlled substance and sale or delivery of fentanyl in connection with the Jan. 24 death of a Merritt Island man. In that case, investigators said Robinson — already on federal probation for charges connected to drug distribution — provided the drug to Richard "Sean" Carlin, 36.

Carlin was later found by his wife lying dead in the yard of a Merritt Island home. Sheriff's agents said Carlin met Robinson in a club and asked if he had any cocaine or heroin. Robinson, investigators said, gave Carlin a lethal dose of fentanyl instead of the heroin he requested.

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The medical examiner’s office later determined that Carlin died from fentanyl toxicity, court records show. Robinson was arrested April 11 on murder charges.

The grand jury also indicted Kathleen O’Brien, 52, on charges of first-degree felony murder by distribution of a controlled substance, sale or delivery of fentanyl, tampering with physical evidence, possession of more than 20 grams of cannabis, and possession of cocaine in connection with the Jan. 23 death of Frederick Massey, 69.

More: Massive Brevard drug bust operation lands 17 lbs of fentanyl, hundreds of arrests

In that case, Indian Harbour Beach police were called to a residence on Flotilla Club Drive after O'Brien called 911 for help to report that Massey was overdosing in her home. Officers arrived and found Massey dead on the living room floor. A second person was also suffering from the effects of a drug overdose in a nearby bedroom, court records show.

The medical examiner’s office later determined that Massey died of a fentanyl-related overdose.

In 2021, Florida reported 16,138 deaths linked to the use of drugs, about 10 percent more than the previous year, FDLE said. Of those, 8,411 opioid-related deaths were reported by the state’s medical examiners.

Both Robinson and O’Brien — who pleaded not guilty to the charges — remained held without bail in the Brevard County Jail Complex. No trial dates have been set.

J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Overdose deaths lead to Brevard County grand jury murder indictments