‘I miss that kid. I miss him a lot’: ing fentanyl victim
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - “Alex died because somebody gave him something that was poisoned, and now, we have to live the rest of our lives without him in our life,” said Bryan Lugo, stepfather of Alex King.
These are heartbreaking words from a Columbia County father after losing his stepson to an overdose. King was just 28 years old when investigators say he overdosed on pills laced with fentanyl back in 2020.
Now, nearly two years later, a man is charged with his death.
Colin James Magill faces felony murder for allegedly selling the fentanyl that led to King’s death. Columbia County District Attorney Bobby Christine says his office is cracking down on cases just like these.
King’s mother was too distraught to do an interview, so his stepfather sat down with our own Meredith Anderson on Monday.
Who was Alex King?
“He was a really special kid to us,” Lugo said, holding back tears.
It’s been an emotional day for King’s family. Just a couple hours after Lugo sat down for this interview, he was standing next to Christine during the news conference where felony murder charges were announced Monday against the man who allegedly supplied King with a deadly dose of fentanyl.
“We never thought we’d have life without him. Ever,” Lugo said.
This arrest is very important to King’s family.
“It doesn’t take the pain away from our family, but for justice for Alex, and for his mother, his sisters, his father, stepmother, myself, and his family. You know, we want somebody to be held able for his death,” said Lugo.
King died in July of 2020. He was 28-years-old — sort of, because he was a leap-year baby. “So that made him 7-years-old because he only had 7 birthdays before he ed,” he said.
He was funny, and Lugo said he had a big personality. A memorial still sits outside Rob Zapata’s Electric, where Alex worked. He was loved, and his family says he wasn’t suicidal.
They say he had no idea he was taking something dangerous.
“It’s not a reflection of who he was. I think the misperception is when people hear overdose, expressly when they hear fentanyl, they don’t understand. They think ‘drug addict,’ but that’s not what this case was. This was basically poisoning. Nobody intentionally takes fentanyl because that’s the drug of their choice,” said Lugo.
Just like no one would ever choose to be in Lugo’s shoes, but he knows the journey to justice is paved with pain.
He also knows King’s memory can live on if this case can help others, so he’ll keep fighting for King and for the countless others like him who could be one split-decision away from his same fate.
“I miss that kid,” he said. “I miss him a lot.”
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