PORTLAND (AP) — The state Medical Examiner’s Office has released the cause of death for a 24-year-old inmate found dead last month in his cell at the Cumberland County Jail.
A Monday announcement states Nikco Walton’s death was classified as an accident and was caused by “acute intoxication” from fentanyl and morphine. Walton was found unresponsive by his cell mate around 6:40 a.m. on April 11.
Walton’s attorneys said they were told by jail officials that the Portland man swallowed a drug-filled balloon prior to his April 5 arrest on charges of cocaine possession and violating his probation.
Skeptical of the account, attorneys Cory McKenna and Amy Fairfield said it’s more likely that their client obtained the drugs following his incarceration.
Prosecutors say a review of the circumstances surrounding Walton’s death is ongoing.
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