photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

John Paul Beckwith is pictured at a sentencing hearing on April 17, 2023, in Douglas County District Court.

A Lawrence man was granted probation Monday in connection with distributing a pill laced with fentanyl that killed a man.

John Paul Beckwith, 19, was originally charged in Douglas County District Court with distributing a substance causing a death but entered a no contest plea in February to the lesser felony charge of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, according to charging documents.

The charge is in connection with an incident that occurred on Oct. 8, 2021, when emergency crews responded around 5:45 a.m. to the 1500 block of Pin Oak Drive and found Michael Aron Howell, 32, of Lawrence, dead at the scene.

According to Howell’s autopsy report, he was found face down in his home with possible drugs nearby. Howell’s wife had reported an incident prior to his death in which he had taken a pill and would not wake up without vigorous shaking. The autopsy said that his cause of death was fentanyl intoxication. Howell was a father of two, according to his obituary.

As part of Beckwith’s plea agreement, he has agreed to testify truthfully against his co-defendants, Randell Mark Smith, 31, of Lawrence, and a man named Robert L. Hall, whose age and hometown are not available in court records. Both face one count of distribution of a controlled substance causing death.

Smith has been arrested on the charge and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 16. He is currently free on a $25,000 bond.

Hall has been formally charged and a summons was sent to his last known address in Lawrence on July 24, according to court records. He is scheduled to appear on Sept. 1.

Beckwith’s attorney, Cooper Overstreet, asked the court to follow the plea agreement and sentence him to probation. The distribution charge qualified for a “border box” finding on the Kansas sentencing guidelines, which allowed Judge Stacey Donovan to order a prison sentence or a probation sentence at her discretion.

Overstreet asked for probation and said that Beckwith has completed drug counseling and is currently taking prescribed medication to deal with his opioid addiction. Overstreet said that Beckwith has “practically been on probation” since his arrest and has complied with every order the court has made. Beckwith’s case has been continued multiple times despite Overstreet’s objections while the state prepared its case against Smith and Hall, Overstreet said.

Donovan sentenced Beckwith to 15 months in prison that she suspended to 18 months of probation. She said that Beckwith wrote a letter to the court prior to sentencing where he expressed sincere remorse for Howell’s death.

In addition to Beckwith’s probation term, he will be required to register as a drug offender with the KBI for 15 years, according to the agreement.

Beckwith has been free since shortly after his arrest in January of 2022 on a $150,000 own recognizance bond, meaning he was not required to put up any money to be released from jail.