Show-Me State Times

A St. Louis man has pleaded guilty to selling fentanyl that resulted in the death of a 52-year-old individual in 2023. Sylvester Clay, aged 50, admitted to selling the drug on December 8, 2023, at a gas station located on the border of St. Louis and St. Louis County.

The victim had been picked up from a hospital in Springfield, Missouri earlier that day by a friend and requested to be taken to St. Louis for pain relief. The transaction was recorded on video surveillance at the gas station. After purchasing the fentanyl, the victim consumed some of it, remarked on its potency, and subsequently lost consciousness. He was driven by his friend to a hospital in Hermann, Missouri but was found dead upon arrival in the car.

The lethal dose consisted of both fentanyl and oxycodone; however, according to Clay's plea agreement, the amount of fentanyl alone was sufficient to cause death.

Investigators interviewed Clay on January 19, 2024. During this interview, he confessed to selling drugs to the victim and identified himself in images captured by surveillance cameras at the gas station.

Clay has pleaded guilty to one felony count of distribution of a controlled substance and is set for sentencing on February 20, 2025. Both parties involved have agreed upon recommending a sentence of 13 years imprisonment.

The investigation into this case was conducted by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerome McDonald handling prosecution duties.