Last Updated on August 19, 2022, 3:40 PM | Published: August 19, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Parents of a 6-year-old child who died from fentanyl poisoning are now facing second-degree murder charges.
Harold Belton, 47, and Grashaunda Brooks, 44, have been booked into the Oklahoma County Jail and each charged with one count of second-degree murder.
In an unusual turn, the Oklahoma Atorney General’s office is prosecuting the case. Normally, murder cases are prosecuted by the DA of the county where the crime occured.
According to a news release from Oklahoma AG John O’Connor based on information in arrest affidavits, the child was taken by his father to an emergency room around 5:45 a.m. on October 4, 2021. Upon arrival, hospital staff could not find a pulse and speculated that the child had been dead for an hour or more based on his body temperature when he arrived.
The news release stated, “A medical examiner said the probable cause of death was ‘Toxic Effects of Fentanyl’ after finding 27 ng/mL of fentanyl in the 6-year-old’s blood.”
Acting with a search warrant for the home in the 3500 block of Newcastle Road in the far southwest of the City, Oklahoma City Police (OKCPD) Detectives said that they found “three blue pills” in a pill bottle labeled for Brooks, the boy’s mother, hidden in a barbeque grill at the residence.
“The tablets were tested by the OCPD Lab and were determined to contain fentanyl. According to investigators, the tablets were counterfeited to mimic pharmaceutical oxycodone 30mg tablets,” read the news release.
In April 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) were notified of the drug death and joined the investigation of the OKCPD.
“Agents determined that Brooks currently, and at least for the year prior to her son’s death, had been prescribed oxycodone tablets but did not have a prescription for fentanyl,” reads the news release.
From the investigation by both agencies, authorities believed that there was probable cause to charge each of the two with second-degree murder.
Neither the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office or the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office responded to requests for further information.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
