Two face murder charges in fentanyl overdose death, Pinellas deputies say
Two people were arrested Friday on murder charges, accused of selling the drugs that resulted in an August overdose death in Clearwater, deputies say.
Jesse Carlisle, 38, and Brenna Powers, 36, each faces a charge of first-degree murder for selling fentanyl, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation started Aug. 9, 2020 when sheriff’s detectives were sent to a Clearwater home to look into the death of a man inside. Next to the man, the detectives said they found an unidentified white powder and a used syringe.
Detectives determined that the man who died had recently bought narcotics before he died. When the white powder was tested, the Sheriff’s Office said the results indicated the presence of the painkillers fentanyl and tramadol.
The investigation led detectives to identify Carlisle and Powers as the ones who sold the fentanyl to the man, according to the Sheriff’s Office, though the agency did not say what that evidence was. The case was presented to a grand jury on Friday, and both were indicted both on charges of first-degree murder.
Carlisle was already being held in the Pinellas County jail on drug charges when the indictment came down. Powers was arrested on Friday. Both are being held without bail.
