NEW ORLEANS — Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said they arrested an inmate on Tuesday for a fentanyl overdose death at Orleans Justice Center.
Larron Davis, 27, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for dealing fentanyl to another inmate, Christopher Johnson.
Johnson, 24, died in May after emergency crews found him unresponsive in his cell.
According to OPSO, drug tests indicated a fentanyl overdose.
"(Johnson's) cause of death was determined to be a drug overdose," OPSO said in a statement on Thursday. "Through investigation, OPSO's Investigative Services Bureau determined that Davis, who was in the same housing unit and cell as Johnson, gave him drugs that lead to his death."
Davis was served a warrant in September and charged with one count of second-degree murder, according to OPSO.
Davis had been transported to a state correctional facility for an unrelated charge shortly after Johnson died, according to OPSO. The department said on Thursday that Davis will be brought back to New Orleans to be booked for the murder charge.
This was the first time an inmate was arrested by OPSO for a fentanyl-related death at one of their prisons.
"The Orleans Justice Center has unfortunately not escaped this growing problem," Sheriff Susan Hutson said on Thursday. "But due to the hard work and diligence of our investigative services division and the deputies in the jail who secured a crime scene and protected evidence, we were able to present a strong case for an arrest warrant to be issued in the death of Mr. Johnson."
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