East Washington man pleads guilty to selling heroin used in deadly overdose
A drug dealer who sold heroin containing a fatal dose of fentanyl that killed a Washington man in February 2019 pleaded guilty Friday to one felony count of drug delivery resulting in death.
Nicholas Retos, 37, of East Washington, agreed to the plea deal in Washington County Court and was immediately sentenced by Judge Valarie Costanzo to 5 to 10 years in prison, followed by one year of supervision following his release.
Retos was accused of supplying the fentanyl-laced heroin that killed 31-year-old Justin P. Platt in his Washington apartment on Feb. 2, 2019. Platt’s girlfriend, Amara Czech, who also ingested heroin that knocked her unconscious, awoke to find her boyfriend dead.
Czech and three other people, including Platt’s parents, offered victim impact statements before Retos was sentenced Friday morning.
“It was definitely very emotional,” said Assistant District Attorney Rachel Wheeler, who prosecuted the case. “It’s been a very, very long road.”
Wheeler said Retos declined to make a public statement, but asked his attorney, Stephen Stallings, to apologize to Platt’s friends and family on his behalf. Stallings could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
Wheeler said Czech cooperated with investigators following Platt’s death. She told investigators that Retos continued to communicate with her and expressed regret over selling the heroin that caused the fatal overdose. But Retos also continued selling drugs after Platt had died, including to undercover police officers.
“For our office, we take it extremely seriously and we do feel, especially when we have an individual who has not only sold drugs that killed someone but continues to sell afterward that killed someone, we obviously view that as a horrendous crime,” Wheeler said. “And we feel it’s important to send a message that it isn’t acceptable.”
Retos, who has been jailed since his arrest in March 2019, was scheduled to go to trial Aug. 9. He had been facing additional charges of possession with intent to deliver, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.