Roommate facing manslaughter charge
RUSSELLVILLE — A Phil Campbell woman is facing manslaughter and drug charges after she admitted to Franklin County Sheriff’s investigators she injected her roommate with methamphetamines.
Ronnie Shane O’Kelley, 48, collapsed to the floor 10 minutes after receiving the injection and was found dead by investigators in a bathroom on June 2 at 195 Old Winstead Road.
Beverly Renea Dyer, 43, was charged with O’Kelley’s death along with unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, after investigators saw Dyer inject O’Kelley on video.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Kyle Palmer said investigators noticed a camera in O’Kelley’s bedroom.
“We thought he was using it for something else because it was pointed toward the bed,” Palmer said. “We began reviewing the videos, which were 1-minute videos. We eventually found the videos of her shooting him up.”
Dyer allegedly told investigators she intentionally withheld the information because she believed she would be arrested for causing O’Kelley’s death.
Dyer told investigators that she and O’Kelley had been in a relationship before but had parted ways five years ago, Palmer said.
“She was in need of a home later, and he took her in as a roommate to take care of him. He also told us she cooked a mean taco,” Palmer said.
He said O’Kelley didn’t seem to be completely disabled, but was on oxygen.
Dyer was been booked into the Franklin County Jail Thursday afternoon without bond pending an initial appearance before a judge.
Court records show Dyer had been arrested and charged with drug-related offenses from 2011 to 2009. Each time she was charged, she pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.
