Pair charged with murder in connection with fentanyl overdose death

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Two people have been charged with murder in connection with a fentanyl overdose death in Baton Rouge.

According to East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office arrest records, Joshua Addison, 39, and Amanda Mason, 43, were indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday, Aug. 21, for second-degree murder and possession with intent to to distribute

Law enforcement officials said on the morning of March 27, 2024, deputies responded to a home on Woodwick Avenue and found a 29-year-old man lying in the bathtub. Syringes and drug paraphernalia were also found inside the bathroom, jail records show.

The East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office confirmed the victim tested positive for fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Data taken from the victim’s mobile phone revealed that the man had bought the drugs around eight hours before he was found dead. After investigating further, detectives identified Addison and Mason as persons of interest.

Mason admitted to authorities that he bought the illegal drugs from Addison, then sold them to the victim at a business near the intersections of Boulevard Coursey and S. Sherwood Forest Blvd.

On April 29, 2024, law enforcement officers executed two search warrants at a hotel in Sherwood Forest Court. Addison and Mason were taken into custody without incident.

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