Contact: Nathan Lederman 508-584-8120
PLYMOUTH – A Dorchester man changed his plea today in Plymouth Superior Court on charges that he supplied an overdose victim with a fatal amount of Fentanyl in 2019, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.
William Marcel McNeill, 39, of Dorchester, pleaded guilty to one count each of Manslaughter and Unlawful Distribution of a Class A Substance, Fentanyl. McNeill initially pleaded not guilty in this case and was set to stand trial on the charges starting on November 12.
McNeill was sentenced to serve 6 ½ to 7 ½ years of incarceration in state prison following his guilty plea. The Commonwealth had requested he serve 12 -15 years of incarceration.
On January 28, 2019, Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office assisted Plymouth Police with a drug overdose death investigation involving a 23-year-old female, identified as Felishia Caraway-Mudd, living in a residential rehabilitation facility. The victim’s cell phone was secured as evidence, and investigators determined that suspected heroin and Fentanyl were being distributed using two target cell phone numbers that the victim had called. Through phone records, Massachusetts State Police were able to connect the phone to McNeill and his Dorchester address. Additionally, text messages obtained as part of the investigation between McNeill and the victim show McNeill warning the victim that the product was potentially lethal. A Plymouth County Grand Jury subsequently voted to indict McNeill in September 2019, and he was arrested by Boston Police on September 13, 2020, after failing to surrender himself to law enforcement.
“Today, William McNeill finally did right by Felishia Caraway-Mudd by admitting his responsibility in her death and allowing her family to move forward without having to relive this tragedy throughout a criminal trial,” DA Cruz said. “It is my hope that today’s guilty plea and sentence will provide solace to the victim’s family, and that cases like today’s send a strong deterrent message to drug dealers who are pedaling poison out in our communities.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Jessica Croker and Jason Herron and investigated by Massachusetts State Police and the Plymouth Police Department.