A man at Bridgewater State Hospital has been charged with manslaughter after he allegedly supplied a fellow patient with fentanyl and cocaine that led to the patient’s death.
Brockton resident Kevin Malette, 35, was also indicted on several drug charges by Plymouth County Grand Jury late Friday.
The victim, Jeffrey Link of Fall River, suffered an apparent overdose early on Sept. 19, 2019, authorities say. He was found unresponsive in his room around 12:30 a.m., and hospital staff administered life-saving measures until paramedics from the Bridgewater Fire Department arrived.
Link was then brought to Morton Hospital in Taunton, where he was pronounced dead.
Malette gave narcotics to Link in exchange for four bags of canteen items, including food and coffee, according to Plymouth County district Attorney Timothy J. Cruz. The canteen, which Cruz said is used as currency in correctional institutions, was equivalent to about $100.
Friday’s grand jury returned indictments charging that Mallete supplied Link with the drugs that led to his fatal overdose.
Malette is being held at the Bristol County House of Corrections and will arraigned at a later date.
