A Kanawha County grand jury found probable cause to return an indictment Thursday charging a Charleston man with murder in the death of a woman who, according to police, died of a heroin overdose.
In addition to the murder charge Steven Craig Coleman, 27, is facing in the overdose death of Melody Ann Oxley, Coleman was also indicted Thursday on a drug charge. Prosecutors say Coleman provided Oxley with the heroin that killed her. He is set to be arraigned on the charges Dec. 10 before Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey.
Police say Coleman and his father both admitted that Coleman was the one who gave the heroin to Oxley. Coleman's attorney, Rico Moore, has said that wasn't true and that his client was high on heroin and Xanax when he gave a statement to police. Moore has called the case against Coleman weak.
On Feb. 14, Oxley went to the home that Coleman and his father, Steve Slater, share on Charleston's West Side. Police say Coleman gave Slater and Oxley heroin after they begged for it. Oxley's body was found in a back bedroom of the Seventh Street home. Coleman called 911 and then went to the house next door.
Prosecutors waited until May to charge Coleman, until after they had received the final report from the state Medical Examiner's Office. Police said that according to the Medical Examiner's report, Oxley's death was the result of combining heroin with prescription drugs.
Prosecutors have said they hope the case sends a message to deter heroin dealers. Under state law, first-degree murder can include "murder ... by a felony offense of manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance."
In a separate case, a South Charleston man was also indicted Thursday on a murder charge for allegedly killing a 2-year-old boy and stuffing his body in a freezer for several hours before calling authorities.
Jarrel Stricklen, 23, is accused of killing Gavin Aldridge in May. Aldridge, according to the Medical Examiner's Office, died from "physical assault with fetal asphyxiation."
Stricklen, who had agreed to watch the child, first told police Aldridge drowned in the bathtub. However, when pressed about how cold the boy's body was when found by police and paramedics, Aldridge admitted to putting the boy in the freezer, according to police.
Something had stopped the boy from breathing, but no water was found in his lungs or nose, according to a Medical Examiner's report, South Charleston Det. Andrew Gordon said.
Stricklen's attorney Troy Giatras has questioned why the child was left with Stricklen in the first place. He wasn't a paid babysitter and didn't really know the child's mother, according to Giatras.
Stricklen is set to be arraigned Dec. 7 before Judge Charles King. He was also indicted on the charge of "murder of a child by a parent, guardian, custodian and other person by refusal and failure to supply necessities."
An indictment is not a finding of fact. It means only that a grand jury has determined there's enough evidence to warrant a trial.
In all, Kanawha Prosecuting Attorney Charles Miller announced the indictments of 64 defendants Thursday. Arraignments are as follows:
n Judge Jennifer Bailey, Dec. 10, 9 a.m.
Scott Jason Hall, 33, of St. Albans, distribution and exhibiting material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct; Christopher Michael Hardin, 34, of Strongsville, Ohio, obtaining by false pretense; Brittany Cierra Milam, 29, of Charleston, grand larceny; Jason Ryan Mounts, 29, of St. Albans, fraud and related activity in connection with an access device; Stephanie Marie O'Hara, 29, of Charleston, embezzlement.
n Judge Charles King Jr., Dec. 7, 2:30 p.m.
Tina Jean Belcher, 28, of Elkview, drug charges; Brett Eric Bennett, 28, of St. Albans, drug charges; Charles David Johnson, 35, of Hurricane, crash involving death or personal injuries and negligent homicide; Kerry G. Martin, 38, of St. Albans, drug charges; Michael Parrell III, 40, of Charleston, sexual abuse by parent, guardian and custodian, first-degree sexual assault, distribution and display to minor or obscene matter and sexual abuse by parent, guardian, custodian and person in position of trust; Crystal Lynn Smoot, 29, of Charleston, forgery of a fingerprint card and DUI; William Williams Jr., 34, of Charleston, escape; Garrett Daniel Workman, 21, of Charleston, burglary, grand larceny and transferring and receiving stolen property; Jonathan Charles Cochran, 24, of Dunbar, transferring and receiving stolen property.
n Judge Duke Bloom, Nov. 20, 2:30 p.m.
Joshua Branden Chandler, 29, of Clendenin, breaking and entering and burglary; Daniel Wayne Eads, III, 27, of St. Albans, child neglect creating substantial risk of serious bodily injury; Kayla Rashelle Burdette, 24, of Nitro, child neglect creating substantial risk of serious bodily injury; Chad Lynn Hartness, 35, of Saw Mills, North Carolina, attempted first-degree robbery and breaking and entering of an automobile; Chad Everett Holley, 31, of Cross Lanes, child neglect creating a substantial risk of serious bodily injury and death; Joshua R. Reveal, 27, of Sissonville, drug charges and fleeing with reckless indifference to the safety of others; Travis L. Rhodes, 23, of St. Albans, child neglect resulting in injury; Brandie M. Rhodes, 21, of St. Albans, child neglect resulting in injury; Jerod Curtis Rush, 21, of Charleston, wanton endangerment.
n Judge Tod Kaufman, Nov. 24, 9:30 a.m.
Eugene Anderson, 65, of Mt. Olive, sexual abuse by a parent, guardian or custodian and third-degree sexual assault; Aaron Neil Desmond, 36, of Elkview, drug charges, fleeing with reckless indifference to the safety of others and fleeing while DUI; Anthony Ross Harmon, 27, of Charleston, burglary, grand larceny, and possession of stolen vehicle; Cecil Johnson Jr., 39, of Charleston, drug charges; Michael Anthony McDonald, 34, of St. Albans, grand larceny; Dana Wade Higginbotham, 34, of Eleanor, grand larceny; Nathan Allen Oxley, 35, of Charleston, first-degree arson and third offense domestic battery; Steven Allen White, 26, of St. Albans, fleeing while DUI, fleeing with reckless indifference to the safety of others and grand larceny; Steven Joseph White, 39, of Charleston, third offense driving while license revoked for DUI.
n Judge James Stucky, Dec. 8, 2 p.m.
Kara Leigh Barefield, 24, of Charleston, attempted kidnapping and petit larceny; Casey Allen Holtsclaw, 33, of St. Albans, burglary, grand larceny and destruction of property; Anita Lopez, 32, of Charleston, forgery and uttering; Jason Lee King, 38, of Charleston, forgery and uttering; Ernest Lee Lovejoy, 39, of Cross Lanes, malicious wounding; Thomas Edward Lucas, 47, of Nitro, drug charges; Melissa Higginbotham, 42, of Nitro, drug charges; Christopher Corey Pritt, 30, of St. Albans, breaking and entering; Ahmari N. Smith, 24, of Charleston, drug charges.
n Judge Joanna Tabit, Dec. 3, 9:30 a.m.
James Essie Adkins IV, 48, of St. Albans, drug charges; Michael Carl Bailey, 36, of Charleston, breaking and entering and petit larceny; Roy Edward Brooks Jr., 47, of Charleston, attempted murder, malicious wounding and battery; Brandon Fredrick Carpenter, 25, of Sissonville, possession of a stolen vehicle; John Paul Chapman, 31, of Charleston, drug charges; John William Cornwell Jr., 54, of Charleston, third and subsequent offense domestic battery; John Clinton Duncan, 29, of Elkview, intimidation of and retaliation against public official and employee; Tony Michael Lawson Jr., 22, of St. Albans, drug charges, transferring and receiving stolen property and carrying a dangerous, deadly weapon; Robert Eugene Pannell, 53, of St. Albans, second-degree sexual assault, first-degree sexual assault and attempted robbery; Michael Stephen Truman, 28, of St. Albans, fraud and related activity in connection with an access device.
n Judge Carrie Webster, Nov. 30, 9 a.m.
Charles Dale Bigler, 25, of Cabin Creek, forgery and uttering, burglary and petit larceny; Timothy Roger Kerns, 39, of Elkview, attempted bank robbery; Bobby Wayne Wolfe, 33, of Elkview, attempted bank robbery and uttering; Marquavice Daeshon Miller, 21, Charleston, third-degree sexual assault; Jared Allen Nutter, 28, of Winifrede, grand larceny; Shanton Edward Penn, 24, transporting controlled substance onto the grounds of jail; Asianna Katrina Walls, 19, of Charleston, burglary, battery and obstruction; Dakota Zachary Williams, 21, of St. Albans, wanton endangerment and destruction of property; Charvica Tyric Wright, 23, of Beckley, first-degree robbery, drug charges and carrying a dangerous, deadly weapon; Sheena Nicole Graves, 19, of St. Albans, first-degree robbery; Kailee Marie Walker, 19, of St. Albans, first-degree robbery.
Reach Kate White at kate.white@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1723 or follow @KateLWhite on Twitter.