Man Charged With Manslaughter In Stafford Woman's Overdose Death

STAFFORD, CT — An eastern Connecticut man has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the 2021 overdose death of a Stafford woman, state police said.

The state police Eastern District Major Crimes Detectives Wednesday served an active arrest warrant on Rohan Robinson, 38, of Putnam. The warrant was the result of lengthy investigation, state police said.

Robinson was charged with second-degree reckless manslaughter and the illegal sale of narcotics. He was being held on a $150,000 bond and, is scheduled to appear in Danielson Superior Court Thursday.

According to a warrant, state police began the investigation on Sept. 22, 2021, when they were called to a Meadow Lane address in Stafford when a 24-year-old woman was found unresponsive at the home. She was found by a friend and the homeowner who was out partying with her the night before and placed her on the couch and went to bed, according to a warrant.

The night began at a bar in Putnam and continued at various homes in that part of Connecticut and included one stop at McDonald's in Putnam, according to a warrant.

At one point, the woman and friends snorted what they thought was a crushed Percocet pill while drinking alcohol, according to a warrant. The purchase was made from a dealer in Putnam, according to a warrant.

The 24-year-old eventually passed out and she and the friend who owned the Stafford home returned there, according to a warrant.

When her friend came downstairs that morning, she found her friend unresponsive and CPR was unsuccessful, state police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a warrant.

An autopsy revealed fentanyl, alcohol and a cocaine derivative in her system, according to a warrant.

Informants and law enforcement officials then identified Robinson as the dealer, according to a warrant. The woman knew him from encounters at bars in the Putnam area, according to a warrant.