Waukesha — A 29-year-old Waukesha man suspected of providing and injecting morphine into a man who died from an overdose has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide.
Jason M. Earhart was charged Tuesday in Waukesha County Circuit Court in connection with the Aug. 2 death of Thomas R. Pike II, 29, of Waukesha.
Earhart had been taken into custody shortly after Pike's death and last week was ordered held on $10,000 bail in connection with the death until formal charges could be filed.
According to the criminal complaint, Earhart gave Pike a morphine pill late Aug. 1 and then cooked it to liquefy it. Earhart then put the substance in a syringe and injected the liquid into Pike, a witness told police.
During questioning by Waukesha police, Earhart admitted providing the drug to Pike, the complaint says. Earhart said he did not remember injecting Pike, the complaint states.
A detective asked Earhart, who at times was tearful during questioning, if he felt responsible for what had happened to Pike. "No, you don't understand what it's like to be a user. This is what we do. We share drugs," Earhart responded, according to the complaint.
Preliminary toxicology tests on Pike showed he had a considerable amount of morphine in his urine, the complaint says.
Pike was found dead about noon Aug. 2 in an apartment in the 100 block of N. Moreland Blvd., according to Waukesha police and court records.
Pike was one of two Waukesha men who died Aug. 2 after being given illegal drugs, Waukesha police said.
Waukesha police have asked the district attorney's office to file reckless homicide charges against a 48-year-old Waukesha man who is suspected of providing or assisting in the delivery of illegal drugs to Thomas J. Rompre, 50, of Waupun.
Rompre was pronounced dead at Waukesha Memorial Hospital after being found outside a residence in the 200 block of S. Grandview Blvd.