West Plains, MO. – Charges have been filed against a convicted drug dealer in connection to a fentanyl overdose death in 2020.
Thomas M. Bennett, age 47, has been charged with 2nd-degree murder. Bennett is currently incarcerated on a five-year sentence for 2 counts of delivery of a controlled substance except 35 grams or less of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid from 2019.
The probable cause statement accuses Bennett of using the Messenger app to communicate with the victim to sell the victim drugs on the night of the overdose death on September 3, 2020. Investigators were able to view the messages following the execution of a search warrant in 2022.
The statement claims Bennett told authorities that he deleted his Facebook account after learning of the victim’s overdose and attempted to contact the victim and they did not respond.
