advertisement

Man charged with drug death in Darien

A person charged with killing a Darien man by supplying him with illegal narcotics has been denied pretrial release.

Willie Woodgett, 37, of the 1400 block of Morris Avenue, Berkeley, was arrested Tuesday and charged with drug-induced homicide.

DuPage County prosecutors say that on March 30, 2023, the victim, Michael Rice, arranged to receive the drugs from Woodgett, who delivered them around 11 p.m.

Rice’s mother found Rice unconscious around 12:38 p.m. on April 1, according to a news release from the state’s attorney’s office.

An autopsy determined Rice died of combined drug toxicity and had in his body fentanyl, alcohol, the antihistamine diphenhydramine, the sedatives alprazolam and xylazine, and the synthetic opioid/painkiller buprenorphine. He had been prescribed the alprazolam, the generic of Xanax.

DuPage court records indicate that, on Sept. 12, 2023, Woodgett was charged with manufacturing or delivering more than 1 gram but less than 15 grams of heroin that day in Darien. That case is ongoing.

Woodgett’s next court date is Aug. 26.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.