Michael K. Williams: 4 Men Charged in Overdose Death of ‘The Wire’ Actor
Michael K Williams was a brilliant actor in his lifetime. But in September 2021, The Wire actor was found dead of a drug overdose in his home in Brooklyn, NY. He was 54 years old. Initially, the death was ruled an accident. Now, however, four men have been charged with the overdose death of the Lovecraft Country star.
Four men were arrested today
According to KTLA, four men were arrested and charged with the overdose death of actor Michael K Williams. The men are facing narcotics conspiracy charges in the Manhattan federal court. One defendant was arrested in Puerto Rico, and the other three were arrested in New York.
“It has to stop. Deadly opioids like fentanyl and heroin don’t care about who you are or what you’ve accomplished. They just feed addiction and lead to tragedy,” said the U.S. prosecutor, in a statement provided to the outlet. The prosecutor went on to say that there were several police detectives in Brooklyn who worked overtime to get some measure of justice for Michael K Williams and his family.
The four men being charged are alleged to be part of a larger drug distribution crew.
They’re being charged in the overdose death of Michael K Williams
Hector Robles, Luis Cruz, Carlos Macci, and Irvin Cartagena are the four suspects in custody. According to The New York Post, the NYPD found video evidence of Cartagena handing off the drugs to Michael K Williams the day before he was found dead in his Brooklyn area apartment.
“The four men continued to sell the deadly drugs at residential buildings in Brooklyn and Manhattan — even after learning their stash allegedly killed Williams, the feds said,” the outlet reported.
What’s more, The Daily Beast conducted an investigation, which revealed that the NYPD was treating Williams’ death as a homicide. “Treat this case as if Michael K. Williams was hit by a bullet,” said Deputy Chief John Chell. “Make believe he got shot.”
The drugs he purchased were laced with fentanyl
Initially, the death of Michael K Williams was ruled an accidental overdose. The New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said that the Lovecraft Country actor died of acute intoxication “from the combined effects of several drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, p-fluorofentanyl, and cocaine,” per Rolling Stone.
During his lifetime, Williams was open about his addiction. He ended up visiting clinics by the time he was 19 years old. And he said that the roles that best resonated with him were the ones that nearly killed him.
But now, it appears that Williams’ death is being treated as a homicide. Thus far, no other details have been released about the investigation. However, we will keep you posted with any updates as they come up.
How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
