Wanted Suspect Charged with Controlled Substance Homicide Captured
The U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PNVOTF) located a suspect wanted on a felony arrest warrant for Controlled Substance Homicide and Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver stemming from an overdose death investigation. The warrant was issued after Spokane County Major Crimes Detectives investigating the death located specific and credible evidence indicating the suspect unlawfully delivered the drugs containing Fentanyl to the victim, which caused his death.
On October 14, 2023, at approximately 4:50 pm, Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a call of a deceased person at a residence on N. Ruby Road, south of E. Hastings Road. Deputies located several blue pills with “M” stamped on them next to the 67-year-old deceased male victim. Based on training and experience, the Deputies believed these were counterfeit Fentanyl pills, commonly referred to as “mexi’s” or “blues,” on the street and illegally sold by drug dealers. Deputies did not observe any signs of a struggle, forced entry into the home, evidence of a burglary/theft, or apparent signs of violence/trauma.
The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the location to begin their investigation, which later determined the victim died from the toxic effects of multiple drugs (fentanyl, methamphetamine, and alcohol).
Spokane County Major Crimes Detectives continued the investigation with the assistance of investigative analysts, and they identified the name of the person suspected of delivering the counterfeit Fentanyl pills to the victim the night before he was found deceased.
Detectives submitted the suspected counterfeit pills to the Washington State Crime Lab for testing, which confirmed they contained Fentanyl.
Investigators also discovered specific evidence that the suspect, 61-year-old Randy S. Brown, discussed delivering “the little blue things” to the victim and that Brown knew that taking “the little blue things” could be dangerous. The last message between the two showed Brown agreed to meet the victim the night before the victim was found deceased.
Brown has several felony convictions and arrests, some involving possession of controlled substances. Detectives confirmed Brown visited the victim on the evening of October 13, 2023, and that he has used and sold illegal controlled substances (including Fentanyl) but denied selling drugs to the victim.
Through this lengthy investigation, Major Crimes Detectives developed probable cause to believe Brown provided Fentanyl pills and Methamphetamine to the victim on October 13, 2023, which caused the death of the victim. They requested a warrant for Brown’s arrest, charging him with Controlled Substance Homicide and Delivery of a Controlled Substance.
On June 20, 2024, Spokane County Superior Court Judge T. Fennessy granted the arrest warrant, setting Brown’s bond at $100,000.
On June 27, 2024, the U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PNVOTF) located Brown near E. Mission Avenue and N. Greene Street and took him into custody without incident.
An assisting Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy transported and booked Brown into the Spokane County Jail for the warrant, charging him with Controlled Substance Homicide and Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Deliver.
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The U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PNVOTF) is a U.S. Marshals-led partnership comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers from Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. The task force’s primary mission is to locate, arrest and return to the justice system the most violent and egregious federal and state fugitives. US Marshals arrest over 80,000 violent offenders annually.
Legal Information
RCW 69.50.415
Controlled substances homicide—Penalty.
(1) A person who unlawfully delivers a controlled substance in violation of RCW 69.50.401(2) (a), (b), or (c) which controlled substance is subsequently used by the person to whom it was delivered, resulting in the death of the user, is guilty of controlled substances homicide.
(2) Controlled substances homicide is a class B felony punishable according to chapter 9A.20 RCW.
RCW 9A.32.010
Homicide defined.
Homicide is the killing of a human being by the act, procurement, or omission of another, death occurring at any time, and is either (1) murder, (2) homicide by abuse, (3) manslaughter, (4) excusable homicide, or (5) justifiable homicide.
NOTE: Controlled Substance Homicide is a class B felony as specifically defined by RCW 69.50.415, and Homicide is specifically defined by RCW 9A.32.010. The first three crimes listed in the definition of Homicide, murder, homicide by abuse, and manslaughter have specific RCWs listed in 9A.32 and they are not interchangeable with the specific crime of Controlled Substance Homicide.
This Spokane County Sheriff Office news article "Wanted Suspect Charged with Controlled Substance Homicide Captured" was originally found on https://www.spokanecounty.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?CID=7