MADISON COUNTY — A Greenfield resident injected a friend with heroin, then left him for dead when the man overdosed, police said.
Thomas Goodpaster, 56, faces charges of reckless homicide and dealing narcotics; as of press time Wednesday, he was being held in the Madison County Jail awaiting an initial hearing.
Police said Goodpaster provided drugs to Darrin Adam of Alexandria, who died of a heroin overdose in January.
Adams’ mother and stepfather called police after finding Adams dead Jan. 20 in a barn on his parents’ property in the 10000 block North County Road 100E in Madison County.
They told investigators they had been there with Adams the night before but left around 7:30 p.m. They found his body at 6:15 the next morning.
Adams’ cellphone was lying near his body; during the investigation, police found his last call was to a woman, according to police reports.
The woman initially denied knowing what happened to Adams but later admitted she was there the night he died, court records state.
She told investigators she was at the barn with Goodpaster, who offered her and Adams heroin while they were visiting in the barn, court documents state.
The woman refused, but Adams said he’d like to try the drug, she told police. She added she didn’t think he had ever done heroin before.
Goodpaster used a syringe to inject heroin into Adams’ hand, court documents state. Within about 20 minutes, Adams collapsed, went limp and turned gray, court document state.
The woman told investigators she attempted to revive Adams, giving him mouth to mouth after he stopped breathing but still had a pulse. She started walking toward the house to get Adams’ parents when it was clear he had died, “but Tommy told her to get into the car,” court records state.
They left Adams’ body in the barn, court documents state.
An autopsy and toxicology test determined Adams’ cause of death was heroin intoxication; coroners found track marks on Adams’ right hand and arm, and they believe alcohol and other drugs — morphine and alprazolam, an anti-anxiety medication — contributed to the man’s death, court records state.
Police attempted to interview Goodpaster about the allegations, but he refused talk with investigators, saying he had contacted a lawyer who advised against an interview with police, court records state.
Goodpaster faces a Level 5 felony of reckless homicide and a Level 5 felony of dealing narcotics. Both charges carry a penalty range of one to six years and up to $10,000 in fines.