Roy Edgar Morrisette
A 39-year-old James City County man pleaded guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in connection to what police allege was a heroin sale he conducted that led to the April 2013 death of a man at the Motel Six on Richmond Road in Williamsburg.
Roy Edgar Morrisette faced a felony murder charge for the death of 28-year-old Christopher Todd Rose, however the charge was reduced to involuntary manslaughter as part of the plea. Felony murder is a charge for people who are alleged to have committed a felony — in this case, the sale of heroin — that ended up resulting in another person’s death. A felony distribution of heroin charge against Morrisette was dismissed Monday.
Williamsburg-James City County Commonwealth’s Attorney Nate Green said the agreement was reached Monday morning. Morrisette will be sentenced at 1 p.m. Oct. 15.
Rose was found dead in a room at the Motel Six after emergency responders were called there April 27, 2013. Rose was laying between the two beds in the room and was declared dead at the scene. Investigators found evidence of heroin in the room, including a syringe.
The Medical Examiner determined Rose died with the heroin mixed with Oxycodone and alcohol in his system, which eventually caused him to stop breathing. Rose was last seen stepping out of his room for a few seconds to throw something in a trash can about six hours before he was found.
Virginia Assistant Chief Medical Examiner Leah Bush testified at a September hearing in Williamsburg-James City County District Court that if a regular user of heroin stops using for a time and then suddenly starts again with their regular dose, the results are often fatal. Once heroin enters the body, Bush said, it turns into morphine. She said she found a fatal amount of morphine in Rose’s system.
The investigation led Williamsburg police officers to Morrisette. At the September hearing, Williamsburg Police Department Investigator Lang Craighill told the court that Rose’s brother confronted Morrisette about the heroin sale while wearing a wire.
During that confrontation, Morrisette admitted to furnishing half a gram of heroin to Rose, Craighill siad. He also said Rose told him he had consumed that much heroin in the past without issue.
Craighill also testified in September to video evidence showing Morrisette visiting Rose’s room for about 30 minutes on the day Rose was found dead.
Morrisette was arrested in August in North Carolina. Officers from the Williamsburg Police Department had to travel there to extradite him.
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