Battle Creek Man Guilty In Death Of OD Victim Left In Snow
A Battle Creek man could spend life in prison after he helped an addict obtain deadly drugs and then dumped him in the snow.
The Battle Creek Enquirer reports that on Friday, 37-year-old Jerrell Finch was found guilty of second-degree murder and delivery of a controlled substance causing death, related to the death of 45-year-old Michael Newman. Police say that Newman had gone to Finch’s home in January 2017, looking to buy heroin. Finch eventually got in contact with a dealer he knew, getting Newman the drugs, which he took and then overdosed on.
Finch told authorities he left the man along Fifth St. in Springfield because he didn’t want to get involved with police, and he had hoped Newman would recover on his own. However, testing determined that he had actually taken fentanyl, and he was found dead by authorities around four hours later. Finch did return to where he left Newman twice, once to take his cell phone, and again with a woman who then called 911.
At sentencing July 23, Finch faces up to life in prison.