A fentanyl dealer arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has been indicted for the murder of a man who fatally overdosed on the fentanyl last year.
According to the PCSO’s Organized Crime Unit, 39-year-old William Benjamin Newton, Jr. of Dundee sold the fentanyl to 55-year-old Terry Morris on December 14, 2025, at around 12:37 am. The transaction was captured on security video outside of the Block Hotel in Winter Haven.
On December 15, 2025, Mr. Morris was found deceased in his home on Adair Road in Davenport; around his body, detectives found multiple hypodermic needles and white powder that tested positive for fentanyl.
The Medical Examiner’s autopsy concluded that the cause of Mr. Morris’ death was acute fentanyl Carfentanil toxicity.
Just over a month prior to his death, Mr. Morris was arrested by the PCSO for possession of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia. Morris told detectives at that time that he buys his fentanyl from William Newton.
On January 11, 2026, William Newton was arrested when a search warrant was executed at a hotel in Dundee, and he was found to be in possession of multiple narcotics, including more than 2.5 kilograms of fentanyl.
“William Newton is where he needs to be—locked up and away from the community. He was already facing numerous felonies for various drug trafficking and possession charges, but thanks to the excellent efforts by my detectives and the State Attorney’s Office, Newton is now facing a first-degree murder charge which will hopefully keep him off the streets for the rest of his life.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff.
The indictment for 1st Degree Murder (FC) was handed down by a Grand Jury on May 14, 2026.
