Manslaughter Charge Filed In 2018 Vernon Overdose Case

VERNON, CT — A Vernon man was charged with first-degree manslaughter and more than 200 counts related to violating a protective order on Tuesday as part of an investigation into a 2018 overdose death, police said.

Jason Fazzino, 24, of Sunnyview Drive in Vernon was charged on three warrants, police said. He was served after finishing a prison sentence related to a case involving a burglary as well as drug and protective order offenses, police said.

On the first warrant, he was charged with first-degree manslaughter, violating a protective order, evidence tampering and second-degree filing a false statement (two counts).

On the second warrant, he was charged with 133 counts of violating a protective order and 83 counts of criminal attempt to violate a protective order. On the third warrant, he was charged with two counts of risk of injury to a minor.

On April 29, 2018, Vernon Police responded to a drug overdose involving a 28-year-old woman at a Sunnyview Drive residence. The home belonged to Fazzino's mother and step-father, police said. Fazzino and the victim were also residing in the home at the time, according to a report.

Fazzino was found hiding in the basement and was taken into custody for violating a protective
order that prohibited him from being at the home, police said. There was also a valid protective order between Fazzino and victim at the time, according to a report.

Soon after the incident, Vernon Police determined the circumstances of the victim's death were
suspicious, records show. Vernon detectives worked jointly with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the Tolland State’s Attorney's Office on the case.

Fazzino is accused of smothering the victim with a pillow — twice — while she was under the influence of narcotics, until she stopped breathing, according to a report.

Fazzino is accused of not seeking medical assistance for the victim for several hours until her young child found her dead, according to a report.

When police and medical personnel arrived, they attempted to revive the victim, but she was eventually pronounced dead at the scene, according to case records.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the death was a homicide
and the official cause of death was, "smothering while intoxicated by the combined effects of
acetyl fentanyl, cocaine and fentanyl."

Fazzino is accused of violating an active protective order by phoning a family member 133 times while in prison. He also attempted to contact that same family member an additional 83 times, according to a report.

He is also accused of "exposing" a 7-year-old child to "crude and sexually explicit movie content," and smoking crack cocaine in the child's presence, according to a report.

Fazzino was brought from a correctional facility in Hartford to Vernon Police headquarters, where he was processed on all three warrants. He was being held on court-set bonds totaling $630,000 and is slated to appear in Rockville Superior Court on Wednesday.

Vernon Police were also assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Manchester police and the State of Connecticut Department of Correction in the case.