CARTER COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — A man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the fatal fentanyl overdose of a 16-year-old in Carter County.

Jesse Calvin Felts II admitted to second-degree murder in Carter County Criminal Court on Monday, as revealed by the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office’s news release.

As part of his plea agreement, Felts will serve 18 years without the possibility of parole.

The charge is linked to an overdose death on December 6, 2022. The Carter County Sheriff’s Office responded to an incident on Steel Bridge Road, where an autopsy confirmed the teenager’s death was caused by fentanyl exposure.

The district attorney’s office reported that a witness identified Felts as a potential suspect who might have sold drugs to the teenager. The investigation found messages between Felts and the victim indicating a planned drug sale on the day of the death.

Felts was also implicated in a fentanyl conspiracy case involving 10 charged individuals. As part of his plea deal, the conspiracy charge was dismissed as long as he accepted an 18-year sentence with no parole possibility.

Felts additionally pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl, a charge arising from a May 10, 2023, Elizabethton Police Department arrest. According to reports, Felts had fentanyl when he was arrested for the murder charge.

Felts received a six-year sentence for the fentanyl possession, which will run concurrently to the 18 years.

The district attorney stated that Felts has been held at the Carter County Detention Center since January 14, 2024, after his bond was revoked for missing a court appearance earlier that month. Prior to missing court, a motion to revoke his bond was filed, citing evidence that Felts was still distributing fentanyl.