LAWRENCE, Mass. — A Lawrence man has been charged with supplying drugs to his cellmate who later died on Saturday while in police custody at the Lawrence Police Department, the district attorney said.
Javier Garcia, 49, of 57 Brook St., Apt. 2, Lawrence had been in custody himself at the Lawrence Police Department headquarters after being arrested over the weekend for disorderly conduct.
Garcia will now face an additional charge of distribution of a Class A substance, Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said Sunday. He is expected to be arraigned in Lawrence District Court on Monday.
Garcia was charged as authorities continue to investigate the death of Christian Marte-Martinez, 25, of 45 Fern St., Lawrence, who died early Saturday while in custody for disorderly conduct and malicious destruction of property.
Marte-Martinez was placed into a cell at police headquarters at 1:15 a.m. Saturday. Garcia was being held in the same cell, Tucker said.
About 5 a.m. Saturday, police found Marte-Martinez unresponsive in the cell, Tucker said. They began CPR and other life-saving measures before he was taken to Lawrence General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The incident remains under investigation by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office State Police Detective Unit and detectives from the Lawrence Police Department.
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