Greene County Jail inmate sentenced for giving fatal dose of fentanyl to fellow inmate
Lorenzo Broomfield was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Wednesday for giving fentanyl to a fellow Greene County Jail inmate, leading to the Republic man's fatal overdose.
Broomfield, 29, was charged with second-degree felony murder that was later amended to involuntary manslaughter. As part of the Springfield resident's plea deal discussed in Judge Jerry Harmison's courtroom, charges of distribution of a controlled substance and tampering with evidence were dropped.
Broomfield, whose criminal background includes a spectrum of assault charges, admitted giving drugs to Austin Larue in jail in 2023 but told deputies he thought he had distributed cocaine. Investigators believe that both Broomfield and Larue knew it was fentanyl.
Court documents say jail camera footage caught Bloomfield giving a ball to Larue that appeared to be drugs before the man hid it under his own mattress. In the video, the men are reportedly seen going to the restroom/shower area where they have a conversation. The footage then shows them return and Larue put the paper under his mattress.
The footage later showed, according to the police report, Larue hiding behind a shirt and ladder in his bunk. He later went to the restroom and appeared to be snorting water up his nose and itching excessively. He returned to his bunk and is seen making movements before going to sleep.
About 4:30 a.m., according to the police report, a third inmate checked on Larue and when he does not get a response, he calls for guards to come. While lifesaving measures are being performed on Larue, footage showed Broomfield retrieve the paper from his bed and leave for the restroom, where he appears to be flushing something down the toilet.
Larue was charged previously with involuntary manslaughter after authorities say he recklessly caused a crash that killed his 18-year-old passenger, Breanna Thomas.
According to a probable cause statement, Springfield police were dispatched to the 2500 block of West Bennett Street on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2018, for a crash involving a Nissan Altima.
The statement says Larue, the driver, accelerated to speeds between 95 to 97 mph, and the car went airborne as it crossed over the railroad tracks near 2460 W. Bennett St.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield man sentenced for giving fellow inmate fatal fentanyl dose
