MANCHESTER, NH – A 34-year-old city drug dealer was found guilty of selling fentanyl to a second city drug dealer resulting in the overdose death of another person.
A Hillsborough County Superior Court jury found Christopher J. Kean guilty on Monday of sale of a controlled drug – death resulting and sale of a controlled drug.
On Sept. 26, 2022, police found the individual, only identified as H.D. in court documents, dead in the parking lot at Walmart.
On Sept. 25, 2022, Kean sold fentanyl to Michael Fleet, knowing he intended to sell a portion of it, and part of that drug was inhaled, ingested or injected by 36-year-old H.D. resulting in H.D.’s death.
On April 3, 2024, Fleet pleaded guilty to sale of a controlled drug – death resulting, and falsifying physical evidence. He was sentenced to 10 to 25 years in the New Hampshire State Prison, with four years suspended on the minimum, for a minimum of 6 years. He was given a 12-month sentence on the falsifying physical evidence charge. Fleet also was given credit for 499 days of pre-trial confinement.
There was an addendum to his sentencing but that document has not been made public.
First Assistant Hillsborough County Attorney Shawn Sweeney, in a news release issued Tuesday, said that “in a significant legal determination, the jury found that despite the fact that Kean did not sell the fentanyl directly to the deceased victim, he is strictly liable for the resulting death. This verdict underscores the state’s commitment to holding upstream drug dealers accountable for their role in the ongoing opioid crisis.”
The investigation was led by Manchester Police Detective Matthew O’Connor of the Manchester Police, who developed and corroborated the evidence that led to the guilty verdict.
“The successful prosecution was made possible through the cooperation and participation of all witnesses involved, including members of the victim’s family,” according to the news release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant County Attorneys Sean Karkos and Laura Del Camp, with support from Merrill Beauchamp, Director of the Victim Witness Program, and paralegal Eva Reardon.
Kean faces up to life in prison. His sentencing is set for Oct. 27, 2025.
While Fleet is mentioned in the indictments, he was not indicted on any charge.