Man Charged With Felony Murder In Jackson County Heroin Overdose Death
Updated: Wed, Jan 06 2016, 07:13 PM | Leslie Rubin, Jeffrey A. Morris
RIPLEY, W.Va. – Authorities said a man has been charged with felony murder in Jackson County in connection with a heroin overdose death.
Casey Cantrell, 40, is charged in the death of Shannon Saffer, 29, authorities said. Saffer was dropped off at Jackson General Hospital early Tuesday morning suffering from an apparent heroin overdose. He was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived.
Deputies said they were called and determined that Saffer's brother, Patrick Saffer, was one of the ones who dropped him off at the hospital. He was located at a trailer in Ravenswood and arrested on an obstructing charge. He has since bonded out.
Meanwhile, deputies determined that Cantrell was the other person who dropped Saffer off at the hospital.
Casey Cantrell, 40, is charged in the death of Shannon Saffer, 29, authorities said. Saffer was dropped off at Jackson General Hospital early Tuesday morning suffering from an apparent heroin overdose. He was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived.
Deputies said they were called and determined that Saffer's brother, Patrick Saffer, was one of the ones who dropped him off at the hospital. He was located at a trailer in Ravenswood and arrested on an obstructing charge. He has since bonded out.
Meanwhile, deputies determined that Cantrell was the other person who dropped Saffer off at the hospital.
"Ultimately, though knocking on doors and looking for leads, we were lead to Greenbrier County, to Mr. Cantrell's location," said Sheriff Tony Boggs.
Late Tuesday night, he was arrested on an obstructing charge at his home in Frankford in Greenbrier County and then taken to jail. He was charged Wednesday morning with the murder.
"I know that a lot of people don't agree with a felony murder charge in regards to something someone voluntarily did, but that's the West Virginia Code and that's what we enforce," said Boggs.
In West Virginia, you can be charged with murder if someone dies in commission of a felony. In this case, that would be supplying heroin.
According to a criminal complaint, investigators tracked down Cantrell and he confessed that he brought heroin to Jackson County and planned to get together with Shannon and Patrick Saffer and ingest it. He said the three of them used the heroin that he provided and that Cantrell was to receive $15 cash and a carton of cigarettes from Shannon Saffer in exchange, the complaint said.
Cantrell said he believed the quantity of heroin he supplied to Shannon Saffer was one or two .1 gram units and said he had no idea why this occasion was any different than any other occasions in that this use turned fatal for Saffer. While providing Saffer with the heroin, Cantrell said, he heard Saffer say, “I found a vein,” referring to him injecting the heroin into his body. Cantrell then said he saw Saffer collapse onto the floor from what he believed to be a heroin overdose.
The complaint said Cantrell gave officers a detailed account of transporting Saffer’s body to Jackson General Hospital, where he dropped it off and left. He ended his interview saying he had additional heroin in his residence, but he would not disclose where it was hidden.
Cantrell was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Jackson County Magistrate Court by Magistrate Tom Reynolds.
According to a criminal complaint, investigators tracked down Cantrell and he confessed that he brought heroin to Jackson County and planned to get together with Shannon and Patrick Saffer and ingest it. He said the three of them used the heroin that he provided and that Cantrell was to receive $15 cash and a carton of cigarettes from Shannon Saffer in exchange, the complaint said.
Cantrell said he believed the quantity of heroin he supplied to Shannon Saffer was one or two .1 gram units and said he had no idea why this occasion was any different than any other occasions in that this use turned fatal for Saffer. While providing Saffer with the heroin, Cantrell said, he heard Saffer say, “I found a vein,” referring to him injecting the heroin into his body. Cantrell then said he saw Saffer collapse onto the floor from what he believed to be a heroin overdose.
The complaint said Cantrell gave officers a detailed account of transporting Saffer’s body to Jackson General Hospital, where he dropped it off and left. He ended his interview saying he had additional heroin in his residence, but he would not disclose where it was hidden.
Cantrell was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Jackson County Magistrate Court by Magistrate Tom Reynolds.
** West Virginia Regional Jail Photo
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