Wichita man pleads guilty to giving coworker fentanyl laced pill that led to his death
A 35-year-old Wichita man could face life in prison after he pleaded guilty to giving another man a pill containing fentanyl that caused his death in 2019.
Tyler Ralls pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of distribution of a controlled substance which resulted in death, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for District of Kansas said.
The man who died was 35-year-old Michael Marsalla. Ralls and Marsalla worked at Evergreen Pallet in Park City, according to the release.
Ralls gave Marsalla an M30 pill that contained fentanyl while the two were working July 31, 2019, court documents show.
“Ralls admits that he knew the pill contained fentanyl and knew that Marsalla didn’t have a tolerance for fentanyl,” the release said.
Marsalla did not go to work the next day and could not be reached by phone. Ralls drove to Marsalla’s home in Valley Center and found him unresponsive on his couch, according to court documents.
After calling 911, Ralls called his “source” for fentanyl pills to ask “whether anyone had ever died after taking them,” the release said.
Emergency responders pronounced Marsalla dead at his home. An autopsy showed that he died from fentanyl toxicity.
“Michael Marsalla accepted a pill from someone he thought he could trust,” U.S. Attorney for Kansas Kate E. Brubacher said. “Unfortunately, that trust was misplaced, and it cost Mr. Marsalla his life.”
Ralls is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 17, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, according to the release.