Three Columbia men sentenced for distribution resulting in death

Three Columbia men were sentenced separately in federal court for a drug distribution operation that led to the death of an 18 year-old male in 2015.

26 year-old Marquette Murrell, 22 year-old Nick Burris, and 23 year-old Nathaniel Rodgers all appeared before U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough on Tuesday in Jefferson City. Murrell was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole, Burris was sentenced to three years without parole, and Rodgers received five years of probation.

On August 9, 2015, officers were dispatched to an apartment in the 2400 block of West Broadway for an overdose. When they arrived, they found the 18 year-old victim dead. Autopsy results showed he overdosed on fentanyl and cocaine. The death was ruled accidental.

The charges resulted in Murrell and Burris pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, and Rodgers pled guilty to providing the location for the drug distribution. They also admitted to providing the drugs to the victim.