Jevante Hamilton, a 25-year-old resident of Daytona Beach, on Monday became the second person in Flagler County to be indicted for first-degree murder for allegedly causing the death of an individual after selling the person fentanyl. Hamilton is accused of killing Timothy J. Davidson, 25, by overdose on Aug. 24, 2019 in Palm Coast.
It’s a capital felony, exposing Hamilton to the death penalty.
Last August, Joseph Colon, the first man in Flagler to be indicted on a similar charge–for the death by fentanyl overdose of Savannah Deangelis at her home in 2017–pleaded guilty to second degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Sheriff Rick Staly since Deangelis’s death has vowed to have his detectives aggressively investigate every overdose death on the premise that it is a homicide–and a murder–until it is determined otherwise. That was the approach regarding Davidson’s death, which led to the arrest of his alleged dealer within hours.
It was 6:30 in the morning that August day 14 months ago when Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at Cole Court in Palm Coast. Davidson, who lived with his parents at the house, was on the floor in his bedroom, next to his bed, unresponsive. A deputy performed CPR.
Davidson’s father had found his son in the room unresponsive earlier and himself attempted CPR.
Paramedics arrived and redoubled resuscitation efforts, to no avail. “They worked a code on the male for approximately 20 minutes before announcing the male’s death,” a sheriff’s incident report states. Davidson was pronounced dead at 7:16 a.m.
His 66-year-old mother told deputies that her son had no known health issues, but that he had been known to use narcotics. The death would later be termed an overdose.
Davidson’s toxicology report confirmed that he had died of a fentanyl overdose. He had left enough clues behind to help detectives trace back his steps over previous hours. Through various means, they set up a meeting point for a “deal” at Market Place on Hargrove Grade. Jevante Hamilton, 24, a resident of Daytona Beach, was among those who turned up, and found to be in possession of material evidence that allegedly tied him to Davidson–evidence that had been instrumental in the alleged fentanyl transaction earlier, the alleged transaction that led to Davidson’s death.
Substance found during what had started as an undercover buy–what detectives call a “buy-bust”–for narcotics turned out to be fentanyl. Hamilton then allegedly told deputies that he had delivered fentanyl and crack cocaine (what he termed “Boy” and “Hard” in slang) to an individual at an auto shop on Hargrove Grade the previous day.
Hamilton was arrested on a charge of possession of fentanyl with intent to sell, a felony. He has been held without bond at the Flagler County jail since.
That’s where he was served Monday with the warrant charging him with first-degree murder.
“This is the second successful investigation of a drug dealer who caused an overdose death being indicted by a Grand Jury for murder in Flagler County,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a release issued this morning. “Our detectives did a great job and worked with the State Attorney’s Office to take this poison peddler off the streets and put him behind bars before he could cause another death while they were investigating this murder. We will do everything we can to stop poison peddlers and if you cause a death we will do everything we can to put you away in prison for a long time.”
Four months after he was jailed, his girlfriend gave birth to their daughter, his first child. Mother and child live in Palm Coast. In May, Hamilton’s girlfriend wrote Circuit Judge Terence Perkins, describing Hamilton’s troubled past as “a product of his environment.” She described herself as the product of a strong family and parents joined 40 years. “I do not want her to be a statistic,” she wrote of her daughter and her hopes of providing a stable home for her. Hamilton, she said, “had a moment of weakness and got mixed into the wrong crowd from his past, but in his defense I strongly believe a big part that played in that was because he was to stay in Volusia County due to his probation orders.” (He was on drug-offender probation, his term not scheduled to end until next year, on convictions on trafficking and other charges going back to 2016, according to state prison records).
According to his obituary, a Deland native, had been “very active in St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church serving as an altar boy, the youth group and graduating from Mother Seton School and St. Joseph Academy,” and had graduated Summa Cum Laude from Seminole State College, where he earned his Associate Degree as an Automotive Tech in 2016. At the time of his death, his family had requested donations to Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare.
The Realist says
Thank you FCSO and the State Attorneys Office. This may not solve the problem, but it will make future dealers think twice before peddling these deadly substances. Judging by this guy’s 9 arrests in the last 10 years I would venture to guess Davidson would not have been his last victim if he was still on the streets.
Nenemalo says
Great job holding this man accountable for dealing drugs with the knowledge of consequences and the stern position Sheriff Staly has on these peddlers and destruction of life. My vote is for the one that focuses on the genuine problems the people face today. Clean up your neighborhoods and if you see something, say something. The sooner, the better. You will be saving lives and possibly that of a loved one(s).
Sad Parent says
I wish more Law enforcement agencies would pursue charges like these to indict the drug dealers. My daughter died of an overdose in another Florida city. Unfortunately the police did not pursue as agressively as those in Flagler.
Jn says
Maybe they’re get more drug dealers. The ones at motels in palm coast
Take a good look says
Here we go again. It seems like Flagler County has a pattern of “picking and choosing” who they want to go after with these drug overdoses. How come they haven’t pursued any charges for the person who sold the opiates to Samantha Brewer shortly before her death. Remember her? She is the ex-girlfriend and mother of one of Joseph Colon’s five children? One can’t help but wonder IF anything will ever come from that? How biased and inconsistent the Flagler County powers that be are when it comes to these matters! Again, the law is UNJUST and saturated with ignorance of the disease of addiction by those that determine and implement such nonsensical laws in the first place!
R. S. says
Increasing penalties will do nothing to remedy the drug problem. If known addicts were to get supervised issuance of the drug they’re addicted to, we’d be much better off in stopping the clandestine sale of drugs than by beating up dealers post facto. Deterrence does not work; it’s been shown time and time again. When pickpockets were hanged for the crime in England, pickpockets would work the crowd of onlookers. It’s just very stupid educational philosophy to improve anyone by beating them up.
amazed says
As much as i’d like to see every dealer in prison. i have to say that this really isn’t a murder. Dealers deal and should be charged and sentences for dealing. But unless this dealer had a gun to the victims head and forced them to take the drug the victim just bought from them, its not murder. What ‘intent’ does this dealer have to want to kill his customer? If customer dies, then dealer loses money. Bad and stupid business.
Yea its a great tool for law enforcement to get the dealer off the street, like using tax evasion to get Capone off the street for multiple murders, but its an abuse of the law.
I’m pretty sure that not 100% of all patients that get prescribed opiods to treat pain dont get addicted and move on to stronger street drugs. Its sad people get addicted to anything, ie drugs, cigarettes, booze etc, but you start arresting the suppliers then you may as well arrest the convenience store clerk for selling you cigarettes or the liquor store for selling you whiskey.
Brian says
“Moment of weakness” Haha that’s rich! Were his prior nine arrests moments of weakness also?
Really says
Bye bye Mr. Dealer have a nice stay.
KEN DAVIDSON says
I think you missed the big story, the 70,000 deaths per year from overdose.
These people like my son did not wake up one day and think well today I’ll become a drug addict, no they for the most part were hooked on prescription drugs first.
Many like my son were prescribed oxycodone to combat pain from a traumatic accident and soon found themselves hooked.
There are very limited resources for these folks to turn to and street drugs being cheaper become an alternative, often leading to their death, since most dealers aren’t chemists the contents of their drugs are deadly
Tired of a racist Palm Coast says
This is so sad. Another man of color arrested because a white person died again doing drugs on their own? This is 100% abuse of the law and as stated above only “some” of these cases are being handled as a murder investigation. To lock up a drug dealer for a junkies overdose makes no sense. This guy was just the unlucky one to answer this kids text message could have been any drug dealer. What about the doctors that prescribed the prescription pills in the first place to get this kid hooked? Or maybe the family should take a look at a them selves as well and stop looking for blame in the wrong places!
Rachel says
I can’t imagine how you the family must feel. This makes me absolutely sick….
I personally am glad that law enforcement is cracking down on drug dealers! Good riddance! My heart aches for his parents having to find him this way and for the rest of the family to have to go though this. 💔