MIAMI – A 38-year-old man was arrested Wednesday over a year after two people died from drug overdoses in Miami, authorities said.
While the suspect’s arrest report details the deaths of two men, Israel Medina, who is homeless, faces one count of first-degree murder involving Fentanyl.
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According to the report, one victim was found the morning of Oct. 8, 2022, lying unresponsive in the stairwell of a building at 1122 NW Third St.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel pronounced him dead at the scene and the medical examiner’s office later determined that the cause of death was “acute combined drug toxicity (Fentanyl, flurorofentanyl, cocaine and ethanol,” the report stated.
According to police, a second victim was found dead in the grass in the rear of the same building.
The medical examiner’s office also determined his cause of death to be “acute combined toxic effects of Fentanyl, fluorofentanyl, cocaine and ethanol.”
According to the report, residents in the area told police they had seen the suspect, who they knew as “Chucky,” and his girlfriend, known as “Hazel,” in the building on the days leading up to the two deaths and on the days the victims’ bodies were found.
Police said he was initially arrested on Nov. 3, 2022, in Miami in connection with another case.
According to the report, he provided a statement to detectives, but it was redacted from the publicly released report.
Jail records show Medina is being held without bond at the Metro West Detention Center.
In addition to the murder charge, he faces various other charges related to other cases, including possession of cocaine with intent to sell, burglary, grand theft and criminal mischief.