Marvin “Pookie” Foster, 51, of Halls, Tennessee, is headed to federal prison for 300 months after being convicted of distributing heroin that resulted in the fatal overdose of Cody Tetleton in 2014. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the sentencing, underscoring the government’s intensified crackdown on drug dealers whose supply directly leads to death.
On July 1, 2014, Tetleton, a recovering addict fresh out of rehab, drove to Foster’s home in Halls to buy drugs. Phone records confirm the victim reached out to Foster specifically to purchase heroin. Foster sold him heroin and hydrocodone pills. Tetleton used the heroin in his truck while still on Foster’s property—where witnesses say he quickly began showing signs of overdose. Instead of calling 911, Foster ignored pleas from those around him and instead moved the unconscious man to a remote area, abandoning him without medical help.
Tetleton’s body was found the next day, July 2, 2014, slumped in the back seat of his own truck on a rural road. A forensic toxicology report confirmed lethal levels of heroin in his system. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide caused by heroin toxicity—a death made worse by deliberate neglect. Foster didn’t just supply the poison; he ensured no help came.
U.S. District Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr. handed down the 25-year sentence on February 20, 2018, followed by three years of supervised release. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Beth C. Boswell and investigated by the 25th Judicial Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Authorities emphasized this case as part of a broader federal strategy to target dealers whose actions result in fatal overdoses.
Kristie Ward Thompson was separately indicted on October 2, 2017, in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, for facilitation of second-degree murder tied to the same incident. That case remains a stark reminder that complicity in drug-induced deaths carries its own consequences under the law.
Eddie Tetleton, father of the victim, submitted a statement read into court that cut to the heart of the opioid crisis: ‘Our son paid the ultimate price for the demons that crept into his life.’ He continued, ‘We do feel that Marvin Foster should also be sentenced for the part he played in the death of our son.’ The family’s pain is shared by countless others, but today, they said, justice moved one step forward—one dealer removed from the streets, one life acknowledged, one name remembered.
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- Cosby Man Gets 10 Years for Pot Distribution, Parole Violation · Tennessee
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Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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