Missoula man gets partially suspended DOC sentence for fentanyl death
Jane Mann holds a photo of her daughter
By ZOË BUCHLI
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MISSOULA, Montana (Missoulian) — A Missoula man will spend five years at the Montana Department of Corrections for selling fentanyl-laced pills to a Missoula teenager, which ultimately resulted in her death.
“My worst fear became my reality when she died,” Jane Mann, Tasia Mann’s mom, said in an impact statement she read in court on Tuesday. “She was beautiful, caring, creative, had this great sense of humor and loved all types of music.”
Missoula County District Judge Shane Vannatta gave Christopher R. Clark, 21, 10 years at the DOC with five years suspended for each of three criminal endangerment charges, and five years at the DOC with no time suspended for a fourth drug charge. The four sentence terms will run concurrently with one another.
In January, Clark pleaded no contest to one count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and three counts of criminal endangerment, all felonies. A no-contest plea means the defendant accepts the punishments of a guilty plea without admitting guilt.
Tasia Mann, who was 18, died in June of 2021 following fentanyl poisoning from a pill she took at a party. Tasia was rushed to the hospital after her friends found her, but died a few days later. Investigators determined the pills were supplied by Clark, according to charging documents.
Tasia was one of three overdoses from a party that day. The second overdose was a 17-year-old male, who survived. The third victim was another young man who had also been at Mann’s house and reportedly taken what he thought was a Percocet pill. He survived as well, according to court documents.
Jane Mann was out of town when she got news of Tasia being on life support at Providence St. Patrick Hospital following the fentanyl poisoning. She rushed back to Missoula to be with her daughter during the final moments of Tasia’s life.
“Walking into the ICU room was the most traumatizing experience in my life,” Jane Mann said. “Tasia didn’t even look like herself. Nothing could ever prepare you to see your child on life support.”
On June 3, nearly a week after the party, Tasia was taken off life support, Jane Mann said.
Several of Tasia’s family and friends filled a Missoula courtroom on Tuesday.
The sentencing was contested, with Jennings and Tasia’s family asking the court to impose a longer, 20-year prison sentence against Clark, as opposed to an all-suspended DOC sentence recommended by Clark’s defense attorney, Lisa Kauffman.
Clark was also ordered to pay $3,500 in restitution for Tasia’s funeral expenses.
Missoula Chief Criminal Deputy County Attorney Matt Jennings prosecuted the case. He said that to his knowledge, this is the first time the Missoula County Attorney’s Office has prosecuted a fentanyl death-related case.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid 80 to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The number of fentanyl overdose deaths has increased drastically in the past several years. In 2011, there were 2,666 fatal overdoses compared with 31,335 in 2018.
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