A man has reportedly died in police custody after his cellmate allegedly gave him drugs early Saturday morning.
The Lawrence, Massachusetts, police department first arrested the late Christian Marte-Martinez on charges of disorderly conduct and malicious destruction of property at about 1:15 a.m. Saturday, MassLive reported. Law enforcement allegedly discovered Marte-Martinez unconscious in his jail cell four hours later. Police are alleging the 25-year-old’s death occurred because his cellmate, Javier Garcia, slipped him drugs prior to his passing, according to the outlet.
UPDATE: Authorities are charging a man with supplying drugs to his jail cell roommate who died this weekend while being held at police headquarters in Lawrence, Massachusetts. https://t.co/fDnVeJH1HU
— NECN (@NECN) April 30, 2023
Officers attempted CPR and other life-saving measures but were unsuccessful, MassLive reported. Marte-Martinez was then rushed to Lawrence General Hospital and later pronounced dead. (RELATED: REPORT: Former Olympic Skier Found Dead In Jail Cell)
Garcia was arrested at around the same time as Marte-Martinez, also for disorderly conduct, according to the outlet. Now, he is reportedly being charged with distribution of a Class A substance. He will be arraigned Monday at Lawrence District Court.
The Massachusetts State Police and the Lawrence Police Department are bilaterally investigating.