Justin Dale DominoA Chattanooga heroin dealer and user has become the latest distributor to be charged in connection to the overdose death of someone to whom he allegedly sold.
Justin Dale Domino, 31, was arrested Tuesday after Chattanooga police found 20 grams of heroin in his vehicle during a traffic stop, according to Hamilton County court records.
Domino is known to Chattanooga drug users and the police department's narcotics unit as a "large-scale heroin supplier and user," and he's been a person of interest in the July 2 fatal overdose of 22-year-old Tanner Wade, court records state.
Wade was found dead on July 2 in a Courtyard by Marriott hotel room, located at 2210 Bams Drive near Hamilton Place mall, court records show. An autopsy revealed he died as a result of fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity, a mixture that Domino is known to use and sell, according to court records.
Wade was an East Hamilton High School graduate and a father to a 3-year-old boy, according to his obituary.
When police took Domino in for questioning, he tried to minimize his use and sale of heroin. But investigators quickly noted that his story didn't add up, court records state.
First, they pointed to Domino's own admission of using "0.075 grams of heroin a day." And then stating he "shoots up heroin eight to 10 times a day," something he admitted to doing every day for the past 15 years.
"This is a very strong addiction and his need for heroin is a much greater need than 0.075 grams a day," an investigator wrote in the arrest report.
Additionally, Domino told police that the 20 grams of heroin found in his car would last him about five to seven days. "That equates to 3-4 grams a day which is 5 times the amount previously stated that he needs to use," the investigator wrote.
Domino then admitted to being with Wade the day he died, court records state. He told police that he, a woman and about five others were in the hotel room "partying and having a good time."
He also admitted to supplying the heroin but claimed he didn't sell it. It was free, he told police.
"Domino, an unemployed heroin user, with a [$]500.00-[$]700.00 daily habit, does not supply heroin for free," an investigator noted.
Nevertheless, Domino went on to say that he and the woman passed out at about 10 p.m. on July 1 and didn't wake up until 10 a.m. on July 2 when everyone else had left the hotel room, court records show.
When he went to the bathroom, he found Wade on the floor. He told police "he knew Tanner had died and he quickly left the hotel with [the woman] to get a story straight."
About two hours later, after the hotel room had been cleaned, the woman returned and called police "to report a mysterious unknown person in her hotel room deceased," court records state.
A Hamilton County medical examiner determined Wade had been dead for at least 12 hours prior to the 911 call, meaning he overdosed around the time Domino stated he and the woman passed out, court records show.
At this time, the woman has not been charged in connection to Wade's death, and Chattanooga police spokesman Trevor Tomas said he was not aware of any warrants for the woman.
Because Domino admitted to supplying the heroin that allegedly caused Wade's death, and then refused to render aid or call emergency services, police charged him with second-degree murder.
He also faces several drugs- and firearms-related charges, including possession of heroin and marijuana for resale, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a firearm with intent to go armed, as well as driving on a revoked, suspended or canceled license.
Domino was booked into the Hamilton County Jail where his bond has been set at $100,000, according to online inmate information.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 20.
Domino is the latest dealer to be held responsible for the death of someone who bought drugs from them and then overdosed.
State law allows dealers to be charged with second-degree murder if they unlawfully distribute Schedule I or Schedule II substances and they kill someone, Hamilton County District Attorney Neal Pinkston said.
Schedule I substances include opiates, opium derivatives, hallucinogens, depressants and stimulants that do not have medical use in the United States. Schedule II substances include substances similar to those categorized as schedule I, but that have medical use, though very restricted.
That has been the law for many years. But in 2018, it was expanded to specifically include fentanyl or carfentanil as substances for which dealers can be charged with second-degree murder.
"The sheer growing number of opiates in the community and overdose deaths," got the attention of lawmakers, Pinkston said.
And the number of distributors being charged is growing, too, he said, as police are bringing more and more cases forward for prosecution.
In June, 24-year-old Eric L. Williams Jr. was arrested after being indicted on second-degree murder charges connected to a fatal overdose. Police allege he sold methamphetamine to a person on May 6. The person died that same day, and the medical examiner's office later confirmed the cause of death to be methamphetamine overdose.
Then, 30-year-old James Shepheard was charged with second-degree murder in connection to one of four fatal overdoses that took place between June 10 and June 11.
No arrests are known to have been made in the other three cases.
Contact Rosana Hughes at rhughes@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327 with tips or story ideas. Follow her on Twitter@HughesRosana.