Published: January 06, 2009 09:36 am      

Area man’s death ruled a homicide

By KANDACE MCCOY

kandace.mccoy@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — A coroner’s jury ruled a local man’s death homicidal by unknown persons as a result of a drug overdose Monday evening during a coroner’s inquest.

James Branon, 27, died Sept. 29, 2008, according to information from Jefferson County deputy coroner Dr. Richard Garretson and toxicology results showed traces of amphetamine, methamphetamine, cannabis, morphine and codeine in his blood system.

“The cause of death is rather self explanatory,” said Garretson during the inquest. Garretson testified that marks on Branon’s arms indicated recent use of needles and the results were a “toxic speedball.”

Garretson asked family members if they were aware of their son’s drug use and whether police investigators had questioned them.

“I didn’t know he was doing it,” Branon’s mother Debra Harlow said, adding that she knew Branon had been texting a friend the evening before his death and was found at the same friend’s house the morning of his death.

Branon’s father, Michael said he believed more than one person was involved with his son’s drug use.

Garretson testified he believed the case was a homicide as a result of the drug overdose and said he would be reporting his findings to local law officials to “find out where [Branon] got this.”

Jefferson County Coroner Eddie Jo Marks confirmed after the jury’s verdict that he would be in contact with the state’s attorney and police department so an investigation can begin on the origin of the drugs.

“He was either given or bought some heroin,” Marks explained, reiterating Garretson’s testimony that the marks on Branon’s arm indicated he was “new at this.”

“These guys with him knew what was going on,” he continued.

In a fatality that occurred Oct. 20, 2008, on North Illinois Route 37, the coroner’s jury also ruled that Shaun Oldani, 30, of Christopher, died as a result of blunt force trauma as a result of a motor vehicle accident due to the inattentiveness of Tracy Hooten, of Kell.

According to testimony from Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff David Bowers, Oldani was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Charles England, which was struck by Hooten when he attempted to avoid hitting another stopped vehicle on Illinois Route 37. Though England was wearing a seatbelt, the device broke; Oldani was not wearing a seatbelt, according to testimony.

Also Monday evening, the jury ruled that Roosevelt Mitchell died Sept. 20, 2008, as a result of blunt force trauma and ruled the death a vehicular homicide, placing the blame on Christina Gonzalez.

According to testimony by Mt. Vernon Police Detective Cpl. Robert Brands, on Sept. 20, 2008, Mitchell was walking home from a party “highly intoxicated” and was left in the road when others had tried to move him away from the road in the 500 block of Perkins Avenue. While others went to seek help in moving Mitchell, a vehicle driven by Gonzalez was driving westbound on Perkins and struck Mitchell.

Brand said all testimony reports showed that Mitchell was laying down in the roadway when he was struck. Garretson reported Mitchell received extensive injuries to the brain, bones and internal organs.

Gonzalez turned herself in to the MVPD Sept. 25 and has been charged with reckless homicide, a Class 1 felony, and failure to report an accident resulting in death, a Class 2 felony.

A pre-trail conference for Gonzalez was scheduled for today at 9:30 a.m.