Following the death of two individuals at Electric Zoo last year, the third day of the New York festival was cancelled. Today, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that charges have finally been made in connection to the molly-related deaths.
Patrick Morgan, 23 years old, was charged in Buffalo, N.Y., with one count of narcotics distribution and one count of conspiring to distribute narcotics.
Federal prosecutors said in a criminal complaint that Mr. Morgan sold pills, known as “molly,” to Jeffrey Russ, 23, and two other people before the Electric Zoo music festival over Labor Day weekend in August 2013.
In the course of the investigation, two of Russ’s friends were instrumental in the charges against Morgan. They, too, bought pills from him. In fact, they were planning on distributing them, as well. Russ and his friends purchased 80 pills from Morgan, about two weeks prior to EZoo, with intent to “distribute to others,” as well as take the pills themselves. Then…
On August 30, [2013], during the festival, Mr. Russ consumed some of the pills supplied by Mr. Morgan and collapsed into a seizure, the complaint said. He died at Harlem Hospital at 3:21 a.m. the following morning, the complaint said, adding that when he had a 108 degree temperature and rapid heartbeat while he was being transported by an ambulance.
It was in March of this year that one of Russ’s friends made contact again with Morgan and discussed his friend’s death. Working with investigators, the “informant” later sent a message to Morgan in order to implicate him in the crime. Morgan was arrested and charged today and is awaiting a trial date.
Information on the other individual who died at the event, Olivia Rotondo, and her possible connection with Morgan is not being commented on.
Source: Wall Street Journal