Suspect Pleads Guilty In Bellevue Man's Fentanyl Death

BELLEVUE, WA — A 28-year-old man pleaded guilty this week to a controlled substance homicide charge related to the overdose death of his 26-year-old friend in June 2020. According to Bellevue police, Ryuji Kawashima sold Ryan Turman a counterfeit Percocet pill that contained a lethal dose of fentanyl.

Detectives said the victim and his girlfriend both took the pills on the night he died, but only his proved to be deadly.

"This case shows you how dangerous illegal fentanyl-laced drugs are," said Bellevue police captain Shelby Shearer. "You must assume that unless you get your pain medication from a pharmacy, it's likely laced with fentanyl, and that can be deadly."

Bellevue detectives investigated Kawashima over eight months and arrested him in March 2021. Investigators reported 10 fentanyl-laced "M30" pills during the arrest. Police said Kawashima and Turman knew each other through playing football in Bellevue, and Kawashima continued selling illicit pills after his friend's death.

According to investigators, the guilty plea is the first for a controlled substances homicide case in King County in nearly two decades.

"Controlled Substance Homicide cases are incredibly time-consuming and difficult to prove," Shearer said. "You must prove the victim got the drugs from the suspect and that it was those drugs that killed them. This successful prosecution is a credit to the Bellevue police patrol officers who initially investigated and our detectives who were able to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt."