Homicide verdict in Darien drug death
A man has been convicted of drug-induced homicide in the 2023 death of a Darien man.
On July 16, DuPage County Judge Daniel Guerin ruled Willie Woodgett, 38, of Berkeley, was guilty of killing Michael Rice, 34. He also found Woodgett guilty of manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance, fentanyl.
Prosecutors said that around 12:38 p.m. on April 1, 2023, Rice’s mother called authorities to report her son was unconscious in her home. An autopsy showed he died of a combined drug toxicity of the opioid narcotics fentanyl and buprenorphine, alcohol, the antihistamine diphenhydramine, the sedative xylazine, and the tranquilizer alprazolam. Only alprazolam was prescribed.
On March 30, 2023, Rice had arranged to receive illegal narcotics from Woodgett, and Woodgett delivered them around 11 p.m.
Woodgett is due back in court Aug. 15 for a presentence report.