An Andover man will serve five years in state prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and witness intimidation Wednesday.
Joseph Comeau, 28, was accused of the involuntary manslaughter after selling drugs that caused Max Durham, 20, of Andover, to overdose in December 2019. Comeau bragged about the strength of the fentanyl he sold Durham and a friend when they met in Manchester, NH. Durham was found dead the following morning in his Andover home.
An Essex County Grand Jury secretly indicted Comeau in March following a joint investigation by Andover Police, Essex State Police Detective Unit and the Essex District Attorney’s Office that began in after Durham’s death. Comeau turned himself in to Andover Police a few days later.
The Essex County District Attorney did not provide details on the witness intimidation charge. The office had asked an Essex County Superior Court judge for an 8- to 10-year sentence.
Stock photo.