MONROE COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) – A 56-year-old Miami man who was arrested in April for leading an extensive fentanyl distribution ring in Monroe County has been charged with murder for his involvement in an overdose death, officials said.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, a grand jury has charged Melvin Anthony Howard with first-degree murder for supplying the fentanyl that led to the overdose death of 53-year-old Amanda Roberts of Grassy Key on Sept. 2, 2022.
In a related case, Alexis Joy Sather, 23, of Marathon, Florida, was arrested for murder in March 2023, allegedly connected to Roberts’ death. Authorities said Sather had purchased fentanyl from Howard and subsequently sold it to Roberts.
Howard is also facing charges of trafficking fentanyl, conspiracy to traffic fentanyl and the unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.
Howard’s initial arrest in April followed a 15-month investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division and the Drug Enforcement Administration, which revealed his role in allegedly distributing approximately 4.5 kilograms of fentanyl throughout Monroe County.
Howard is currently held in jail on a $1.3 million bond, while Sather remains in jail without bond.
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