Brendon Brown, 32, of Mahanoy City, has been charged with multiple offenses, including drug delivery resulting in death, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and criminal use of a communication facility. The charges stem from an incident on March 30, 2024, which resulted in the death of 25-year-old Derreck Forker-Leso.
According to the affidavit, Cpl. Charles Kovalewski responded to a dispatch call for a cardiac arrest at approximately 10:50 a.m. Upon arrival at the scene, Kovalewski found Forker-Leso unresponsive on the floor with his mother, Deborah Forker, attempting CPR. Emergency responders from the Mahanoy City Citizens Ambulance and Fire Department arrived shortly after but were unable to revive Forker-Leso, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Deborah Forker informed the police that she had left the house that morning for a job discussion and had spoken to her son on the phone shortly before returning home. A subsequent search of Forker-Leso's phone revealed a conversation on Facebook Messenger between him and Brendon Brown, starting at 5:55 a.m. on the morning of March 30. The conversation detailed arrangements for Forker-Leso to purchase narcotics from Brown.
In the exchange, Brown warned Forker-Leso about the potency of the drugs, stating, "this shit is no joke so like I need to make sure your ok you feel me." Brown later confirmed his location and arranged the delivery to Forker-Leso's residence at 620 E Railroad Street. Forker-Leso acknowledged receiving the drugs and expressed satisfaction with their quality.
Despite several attempts by Brown to contact Forker-Leso after the delivery, there was no response. The toxicology report from NMS Labs confirmed that Forker-Leso's cause of death was due to fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl toxicity. The Schuylkill County Coroner's Office ruled the manner of death as homicide.
On June 26, 2024, Chief Rentschler of the Mahanoy City Police Department encountered Brown during a routine patrol. Brown willingly accompanied Rentschler to the police station, where he was read his Miranda rights and agreed to answer questions. Confronted with the Facebook messages, Brown admitted to selling the fentanyl to Forker-Leso. He expressed remorse, stating he never intended to harm Forker-Leso and considered him a friend.
Brown was taken into custody on the above charges and arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Anthony Kilker on Wednesday afternoon.
Brown was remanded to Schuylkill County Prison unable to post the $250,000 straight cash bail set by Judge Kilker.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 11th, 2024 before Judge Kilker.