Michael K Williams death: Drug dealer pleads guilty to providing The Wire actor with fentanyl-laced heroin
A man has pleaded guilty to providing actor Michael K Williams with fentanyl-laced heroin, which resulted in his death in 2021.
Irvin Cartagena, 39, sold the drugs in “broad daylight” in New York City, according to lawyer Damien Williams, who said he was “feeding addiction and causing tragedy”.
“In doing so, he dealt the fatal dose that killed Michael K Williams,” the lawyer added.
The Wire star was found dead at his home at the age of 54 after an overdose in his Brooklyn penthouse apartment.
Cartagena pleaded guilty and signed an agreement with prosecutors stipulating that the mix of heroin and fentanyl he sold to Williams resulted in his death.
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Prosecutors said Cartagena and his alleged co-conspirators continued to sell fentanyl-laced heroin around residential apartment buildings in Brooklyn and Manhattan even after they learned of the actor’s death.
Cartagena’s plea to a charge of conspiring to distribute drugs was entered in Manhattan federal court.
His sentencing is set for 18 August, when Cartagena will face a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and the possibility of as many as 40 years.
Another defendant in the case pleaded guilty on Tuesday.
‘A measure of justice’
Williams’s death came despite the New York Police Department launching an investigation which involved a paid informant making controlled heroin buys on the same block where the actor bought drugs.
The day after his death, the informant went back to buy more drugs from the same group and recorded a conversation in which some of them talked about Williams’s overdose.
One denied selling any drugs containing fentanyl.
Read more:
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Four charged with drug conspiracy over death of The Wire actor
Last year, four men were charged in Manhattan federal court over a narcotics conspiracy, alleging the distribution of fentanyl-laced heroin.
Cartagena was arrested in Puerto Rico and charged with a narcotics conspiracy that same year.
At the time, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said police detectives in Brooklyn “lived this case, never relenting in their investigation until they could bring a measure of justice to Michael K Williams and his family”.
Who was Michael K Williams?
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Williams left school early to pursue a career as a dancer and worked with high-profile stars including Madonna and George Michael.
He later found himself acting alongside Tupac Shakur in the 1996 film Bullet.
Williams, an Emmy-nominated actor and producer, rose to prominence in 2002 through his critically acclaimed role as Omar Little in The Wire, which even caught the attention of former US President Barack Obama, who praised his work.
The star was also known for his role as Albert “Chalky” White on the hit series Broadwalk Empire from 2010 to 2014.
Soon after the actor’s death, tributes poured in from friends and colleagues in the world of entertainment – and in a statement, HBO, the network where Williams grew as an actor, said his death was an “immeasurable loss”.
It said: “We are devastated to learn of the passing of Michael Kenneth Williams, a member of the HBO family for more than 20 years.
“While the world is aware of his immense talents as an artist, we knew Michael as a dear friend who was beloved by all who had the privilege to work with him.
“We send our deepest condolences to his family for this immeasurable loss.”
Angelina Jolie says although she appreciates being an artist, she would prefer for her legacy to be “a good mother” and to be known for her “belief in equality and human rights”.
The Oscar-winning actress stars as Maria Callas in the new Pablo Larrain film about the opera singer’s life.
Pic: StudioCanal
She has called Maria “the hardest” and “most challenging” role she has had in her career and put months of preparation into immersing herself into the world of opera.
Jolie, who recently reached a divorce settlement with actor Brad Pitt, told Sky News: “To be very candid, it was the therapy I didn’t realise I needed. I had no idea how much I was holding in and not letting out.
“So, the challenge wasn’t the technical [side of opera], it was an emotional experience to find my voice, to be in my body, to express. You have to give every single part of yourself.”
The biopic combines the voice of the Maleficent actress with recordings of Maria Callas.
Jolie believes it “would be a crime to not have [Callas’] voice through this because, in many ways, she is very present in this film”.
Who was Maria Callas?
Born in New York in 1923, Maria Callas was the daughter of Greek immigrants who moved back to Athens at the age of 13 with her mother and sister.
After enrolling at the Athens Conservatory, she made her professional debut at 17 and went on to become one of the most famous faces of opera, travelling around the world and performing at Covent Garden in London, The Met in New York and La Scala in Milan.
Callas’s final operatic performance took place at Covent Garden in 1965 when she was 41 but she continued to work conducting master classes at Juilliard School, doing concert tours and starring in the 1969 film Medea.
Written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, Maria focuses on the artist’s final years in the 1970s when she moved to Paris and disappeared from public view.
She died on 16 September 1977 at the age of 53.
Pic: StudioCanal
Jolie on changing motivations as an actor
Maria follows the life of an artist fully consumed by the art she creates and even remarks that “happiness never developed a beautiful melody”.
Reflecting on her own life in the spotlight, Jolie said she noticed her own career motivations change over the years.
“There’s this kind of study of being human that we do when we create, and we communicate with an audience because our work is not in isolation – it’s a connection.
“I think when I was younger, I had different questions about being human and different feelings and now as I’ve gotten older, I understand some things and now I have different questions.
“It’s a matter of life, right? And so maybe that’s interesting that this now is a character really contemplating death and really contemplating the toll of certain things in life that I, of course, couldn’t have understood in my 20s”.
Jolie at the New York Film Festival in September with three of her children (L-R) Pax, Zahara and Maddox. Pic: AP
A family affair
Two of Jolie’s children, Maddox and Pax, took on production assistant roles during the filming of Maria and witnessed their mother perform opera for the first time in public.
She says the film allowed them to create new experiences together and for her children to see her approach to playing a difficult role.
“Everyone in my home, we all give each other space to be who we are and we’re all different.
“I’m the mom, but I’m also an artist and a person and so my family has been very kind and gives me their understanding. They make fun of me, and they support me and just as you’d hope it would be.”
She adds: “When you play somebody who is dealing with so much pain, it’s very important to come home to some kindness.”
Maria is in cinemas now.
Tom Holland’s dad has confirmed his son’s engagement to Zendaya – revealing how the 28-year-old meticulously planned the proposal.
Zendaya, also 28, sparked engagement rumours when she attended last Sunday’s Golden Globes wearing a sparkling diamond on her ring finger.
Neither star has publicly addressed the rumours but Tom’s comedian father, Dominic Holland, has now confirmed the pair are set to wed.
He wrote in a post on his Patreon account: “Tom, as you know by now was very incredibly well prepared. He had purchased a ring.
“He had spoken with her father and gained permission to propose to his daughter.”
“Tom had everything planned out… When, where, how, what to say, what to wear,” he added.
Zendaya arrived at the Golden Globes with a noticeable piece of new jewellery. Pic: Invision/AP
Dominic also noted that while most men worry about being able to afford an engagement ring, he suspects his actor son was “more concerned with the stone, its size and clarity, its housing, which jeweller”.
Tom and Zendaya met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, when they played the titular hero and his love interest MJ, respectively. Their romance was confirmed in 2021.
In his post, Tom’s father admitted fears over whether being in the spotlight could put a strain on the couple’s relationship.
He wrote: “I do fret that their combined stardom will amplify their spotlight and the commensurate demands on them and yet they continually confound me by handling everything with aplomb.”
“And even though show business is a messy place for relationships and particularly so for famous couples as they crash and burn in public and are too numerous to mention […] yet somehow right at the same time, I am completely confident they will make a successful union.”
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Zendaya rose to fame after landing a role in Disney sitcom Shake It Up, and became a household name after starring in Euphoria.
Holland – who has starred in three Spider-Man films opposite his now-fiancée – made his stage debut in Billy Elliot the Musical in 2008.
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