Greenwich man pleads guilty to selling fatal batch of heroin
STAMFORD — Minutes after pleading guilty to selling a fatal batch of fentanyl-laced heroin to a Greenwich 18-year-old, Meshach Kim turned to face the teen’s parents.
“I just wanted to take this opportunity to apologize. I wanted to let you guys know that I’m truly sorry for what happened, and that I take full responsibility for my actions, which I know were immature and foolish, and I’m sorry for all the pain this has caused and all you’ve had to endure,” Kim said as tears filled his eyes.
Kim, a Greenwich resident, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and sale of narcotics as a part of an agreement with state prosecutors on Monday.
Under the agreement, Kim will serve four years in prison and five years of probation, according to Assistant State’s Attorney Margaret Moscati. If Kim violates his probation upon his release, he could face up to an additional six years in prison under the offer.
The 18-year-old’s parents declined to comment on the agreement following Monday’s hearing at the state Superior Court in Stamford. While the two did not make a statement when given the opportunity by a Superior Court judge on Monday, they will have another chance to voice their feelings at Kim’s sentencing on June 5.
Kim’s guilty pleas come nearly a month after he rejected an identical offer from state prosecutors in February.
Kim, 33, was facing charges of second-degree manslaughter, the sale of a narcotic substance and two counts each of attempted sale of narcotics and possession of a controlled substance.
Kim was originally charged with two counts of attempting to sell narcotics and a controlled substance in October 2021, but those charges were upgraded to include second-degree manslaughter after additional investigation by authorities.
According to the arrest warrant application, police were called to an Old Greenwich home on a report of an overdose in late October 2021. Detectives found two wax folds, stamped with an Apple computer logo and the word “iPhone” printed on them in a bathroom inside the residence. The state laboratory later determined the folds held traces of heroin and fentanyl, the court papers stated.
Investigators checked the cell phone of the teen who had overdosed and found a contact labeled “the Plug,” the court papers stated; detectives noted the word “is a common slang term for the main supplier of drugs.”
Police made contact with the person on the cell phone list and set up a buy, according to the affidavit. Undercover detectives also requested a purchase of “pins,” a street term for Clonazepam, a prescription drug used to treat anxiety.
Authorities said a man later identified as Kim pulled up in a gray Mazda Miata on the morning of Oct. 28 at a bank parking lot on Sound Beach Avenue, where he was arrested. Police said he had three folds of powder, with the “iPhone” mark on them, as well as two tablets of Clonazepam, the affidavit claimed.
During the investigation, police were allegedly told by Kim that the person who had overdosed had paid $40 for the two packets of drugs, according to the affidavit. Kim told the investigators he poured out some of the narcotics for the person and “showed him the amount to use,” the arrest-warrant application stated.
According to the Medical Examiner’s report, the young man died of “multidrug toxicity,” with traces of cocaine and a “synthetic codeine analog” in his system. The combination of heroin and fentanyl was fatal, the court papers stated, citing the M.E.’s report.
Based on the additional information, authorities concluded that a charge of manslaughter was warranted, the police file indicated.