Man guilty in drug overdose death

The former nightclub host who sold the mixture to his friend could get life in prison.

By CARRIE WEIMAR
Published July 21, 2007

TAMPA - A federal jury found a former Tampa nightclub host guilty Friday of giving a fatal mix of drugs to a friend who died of an overdose.

Brandon Erwin, 30, can get a minimum penalty of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced.

Erwin, a former part-time host at the Blue Martini in International Plaza, was accused of selling Andrew Culver cocaine and the prescription painkiller methadone, which prosecutor A. Lee Bentley III said caused Culver's November 2005 death.

The jury deliberated for about four hours before finding Erwin guilty of four counts of distributing controlled substances and one count of conspiracy to distribute. Drug agents said he sold cocaine, Ecstasy and methadone.

U.S. District Judge James Moody ordered Erwin held in jail until a sentencing date is set.

Bentley said he was pleased with the jury's decision.

"It's a just and fair verdict," he said. "We believe that it sends a message, that if someone dies of an overdose, the person who sold the drugs responsible will be held accountable."

Culver's body was found in a room at the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza in 2005.

During the two-week trial, Bentley introduced testimony from a confidential informant who recorded Erwin saying "I got my boy the s--- that killed him."

Drug Enforcement Administration agent Scott Albrecht testified his agency set up drug deals, buying methadone and Ecstasy from Erwin with the help of informant Stephen Wilkinson.

Erwin drove a Dodge Durango registered to Culver's mother at those deals, Albrecht said. Culver's relatives said Erwin took the vehicle to settle a drug debt.

Donald West, Erwin's attorney, tried to poke holes in the prosecution's case. He argued Culver's death was caused by recent and past cocaine abuse, exacerbated by his weakened heart.

Defense expert Marie Herrmann, the Volusia County chief medical examiner, testified Culver's heart showed signs of damage from chronic cocaine use.

She said the levels of cocaine and methadone found in his system were in the medium to low range. That may have been enough to kill him but it didn't appear that way, Herrmann said.

On Friday, West said he was disappointed by the jury's verdict. He said Erwin turned his life around since his arrest, reconnecting with family members and working for a flooring company.

Erwin also stopped associating with the hard-partying people that frequented the nightclub where he worked, West said.

West said he plans to appeal.

Carrie Weimar can be reached at 813 226-3416 or cweimar@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 20, 2007, 23:32:51]