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DWIGHT – A Lincoln man was arrested this week in connection with a drug-induced homicide in Dwight.
Dwight police announced that they arrested Ernest Petro in connection with the July 2024 drug-induced homicide of Eric Shepherd.
The 33-year-old Shepherd was found unresponsive by Dwight officers in the backyard of a residence in the 300 block of West Mazon Avenue on July 31, according to a news release from Dwight police.
Shepherd was later pronounced dead by the Livingston County Coroner’s Office. The immediate cause of death was fentanyl and alcohol intoxication, police said.
On Aug. 12, Dwight police were notified by the Central Illinois Enforcement Group of a narcotics investigation.
During the investigation, the 44-year-old Petro is alleged to have made admissions that he delivered the fentanyl that led to Shepherd’s death, police said.
Dwight police investigators gathered additional evidence related to Shepherd’s death and presented it for review to the Livingston County State’s Attorney’s Office.
On Tuesday, Petro was charged by the state’s attorney’s office with drug-induced homicide, a Class X felony, and unlawful delivery of a controlled substance, a Class 2 felony.