LIMA — A second Lima man was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for providing fentanyl to a family member who died after snorting the dangerous drug.
Daniel Kill, 42, was sentenced in Allen County Common Pleas Court for the role he played in the February death of his sister, Cynthia Lewis.
David Lewis, Cynthia’s husband, was sentenced earlier this week to an identical three-year prison term for his role in providing the drugs that killed his wife. Kill was present in the courtroom Monday as sentence was passed upon his brother-in-law.
Kill and David Lewis were indicted by a grand jury in August on charges of involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony, and corrupting another with drugs, a second-degree felony. Kill was also charged with tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. Both men accepted negotiated plea agreements from prosecutors, with Kill pleading guilty to reckless homicide, a third-degree felony, and possession of a schedule II drug, a fifth-degree felony.
Judge David Cheney on Wednesday sentenced Kill to 36 months in prison on the reckless homicide charge and 12 months for the drug possession charge. The sentences will be served concurrently, and Kill will be eligible to apply for judicial release after six months in prison.
Prosecutors alleged that Lewis and Kill “did knowingly … administer or furnish to” the victim a controlled substance, fentanyl, and caused “serious physical harm to Cynthia Lewis.”
Immediately prior to sentencing on Wednesday, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Tony Miller called the case involving multiple family members “a tragic situation” but noted that Cynthia Lewis died “in part due to the actions of the defendant.” Miller requested jail time for Kill “as the court sees fit.”
Defense attorney John Hopkins asked the judge to impose community sanctions in lieu of prison time, saying the death of Cynthia Lewis “was not what anybody intended.”
Kill, who fought back tears throughout the hearing, told the court he has “struggled with drugs and alcohol for most of my life” and that he will “carry my sister’s death with me the rest of my life.”
Cheney admitted he was “torn between rage … and sympathy” over Kill’s case.
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