Arnaudville man indicted for murder in 2021 fatal overdose in downtown Lafayette

An Arnaudville man was indicted in the overdose of a 20-year-old who died after she was found alone and without a pulse in Downtown Lafayette in October.

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- An Arnaudville man was indicted in the overdose of a 20-year-old who died after she was found alone and without a pulse in Downtown Lafayette in October.

Damien Bernard, 26, of Arnaudville, was indicted for second-degree murder and "willfully, unlawfully, knowingly, and intentionally distributing controlled dangerous substances," according to the indictment from the 15th Judicial District Attorney's Office for Lafayette Parish.

The indictment said that Bernard gave the victim Fentanyl, a highly lethal drug that's killed more people in the last year than gun-related deaths and auto-related deaths combined, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

On Oct. 23, 2021, police responded to a woman found unconscious from an apparent drug overdose in the 500 block of Jefferson St. in Lafayette. She remained hospitalized until her death on Oct. 30. Toxicology reports showed that she died from fentanyl toxicity, Sr. Cpl. Matthew Benoit with the Lafayette Police Department (LPD) said.

Investigators traced the fentanyl back to Bernard, who allegedly sold drugs to the victim. Bernard was arrested in January and booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center, where he is currently being held.