4 Charged In Hixson Overdose Death Of Man, 58

Four people have been charged in connection with the overdose death of a 58-year-old man in Hixson on Monday.

The victim was identified as Mark Elliott.  

Nicole Lia Cimini, 31, and Joshua Johnson, 38, are charged with second-degree murder and conspiracy to distribute heroin.

Milton Patrick, 36, and Jeffrey Scealf, 64, are charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin.

Police were called to 1949 Northpoint Blvd., Apt. 132, on an overdose.  They found an unresponsive Elliott with Ms. Cimini.

Ms. Cimini said Elliott has intravenously shot up half a point of heroin. She said he started to turn blue and passed out on the floor.  She then administered a nasal dosage of Narcan to him, but it did not have a positive effect.  She said she then gave him Narcan intravenously.  This also did not help.

Ms. Cimini said she noticed that he was hot to the touch, so she went to the freezer, got ice and poured it on him.  Then she called 911.

Ms. Cimini said she had gotten the heroin from Johnson.  She said she texted Patrick earlier that morning to see if he could get crack cocaine, but he could not. She then asked Patrick if he could get some heroin.  She said Patrick contacted Johnson and he agreed to sell two points of heroin for $43. 

Ms. Cimini said she then went to the apartment on Northpoint Blvd. 

Johnson said Patrick set up the deal between him and Ms. Cimini for two points of heroin for $43. He said Patrick wanted half of the heroin for setting up the deal.

Asked where he got the heroin, Johnson said he went Sunday evening to Red Bank with Scaelf and Patrick to meet a guy named "Dee" to purchase 20 points of heroin.

Patrick admitted setting up the deal for two points of heroin and getting a commission for the deal. He said on the trip to Red Bank that Johnson and Scaelf dropped him off at McDonalds while they went across the road to a gas station to meet "Dee."  They then picked up Patrick at McDonalds and drove back to Northpoint Blvd. 

Ms. Cimini said Elliott previously had used crack cocaine.  However, since she could secure it, she decided to use her "drug of choice" - heroin.

She said she had instructed Elliott how to prepare the heroin to shoot intravenously. She said she told him to use 30 cc's of water in the spoon and to only put half a point of heroin in the spoon.  She then told Elliott to melt the heroin and place a piece of cotton in the spoon. She said Elliott did what she instructed.