FARMINGTON – Four out of five defendants originally indicted on drug-related charges in a case tied to the death of a Farmington woman have been convicted, following guilty pleas accepted earlier today in Franklin County Superior Court.
Seth Gordon, 23, and father Roy Gordon, 42, both of Wilton, pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful furnishing of a schedule drug, both Class C felonies. As part of the arranged plea, the Gordons’ maximum sentences will be capped at two years.
Terry Oliver, 54 of Wilton, has already pleaded guilty to unlawful trafficking in a scheduled drug, a Class B felony. In a separate case, she pleaded guilty to violating the conditions of her release, a Class C felony. Oliver has been held in custody for roughly seven months while awaiting sentencing.
Police believe that morphine sold by Oliver ended up being used by five other individuals, including Marilyn Rider, 52. Rider had been reportedly injected with morphine at her birthday party on Nov. 10, 2012 in Wilton, and was found dead the next morning at her Farmington residence.
According to information that Assistant District Attorney James Andrews said would have been presented by the state had the case gone to trial, Seth Gordon admitted to police to going to the birthday party and assisting Roy Gordon in the purchase of morphine from Oliver. Seth Gordon also admitted to assisting Rider in injecting morphine, according to Andrews.
According to Roy Gordon’s attorney, Walter Hanstein, his client was recorded admitting to police to supplying pills to a third man, Erik Barnes, 28 of Wilton, but not to supplying pills to Rider. The Gordons purchased ten, 30-mg morphine pills from Oliver the evening before the party.
Barnes has been indicted on one count of unlawful furnishing, a Class C felony, and one count of falsifying evidence, a misdemeanor. The falsifying evidence charge stems from Barnes allegedly trying to hide needles at Rider’s Farmington residence prior to police arriving on Nov. 11.
Barnes has pleaded not guilty to the charges and waived his right to a jury trial in court today, instead requesting a bench trial where the verdict will be determined by a judge. That trial will likely take place sometime in the next two months.
Justice Michaela Murphy plans to hold a sentencing hearing for Seth Gordon, Roy Gordon and Oliver in November. If convicted, Barnes would be sentenced at that time.
Murphy requested sentencing memorandum from all three defense attorneys involved with the Gordons and Oliver. The court will also be waiting on a report requested by Seth Gordon’s attorney, Thomas Carey, dealing with Rider’s death.
A fifth individual, Scott Kidder, 32 of Wilton, had previously pleaded guilty to furnishing and received a two-year prison sentence on an admitted probation violation as part of a partially-suspended sentencing arrangement.
[Editor’s Note: Attorney Walter Hanstein is related to the reporter.]
Good
Does it bother anyone else in this community where they came by the morphine? Were they themselves prescribed morphine by local doctors? Were they stealing the morphine from someone with a legit prescription? A common source of morphine prescriptions is Hospice for terminal patients pain control, cases of family stealing from the patient are common. It’s also common for people with legit prescriptions, often elderly, to sell their meds, or be convinced to sell their meds, because they can supplement their income and not be questioned much about refills from physicians. Seems to this case represents larger issues of where illegal drugs/ sales originate
You don’t see many fathers and sons spending that much time together these days
and therein lies a big part of the problem..
Too many boys raised by “single moms” who also had no fathers. No good will come of this.