Man accused of providing heroin that killed former hockey coach to enter plea Friday

By Kyle Feldscher Crime and courts reporter

Posted on Fri, Sep 7, 2012 : 10:32 a.m.

The man accused of giving a fatal dose of heroin to Nicholas Belanger in January is scheduled to make a plea in the Washtenaw County Trial Court Friday afternoon.

Brendan Lathrop

Courtesy of the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office

Brendan Lathrop, 23, has been charged with one count of delivery of a controlled substance causing death and one count of delivery of a controlled substance less than 50 grams. Court records show Lathrop is scheduled to make a plea in front of Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Donald Shelton at 1 p.m. Friday.

Belanger, 26, was found dead in his car on the morning of Jan. 22 outside of Lathrop’s Ann Arbor apartment.

Lathrop, held in the Washtenaw County Jail without bond since a violation earlier this year, was charged on April 13 for providing Belanger the heroin that caused the fatal overdose. That charge carries a maximum of life in prison.

Last month, Lathrop’s defense attorney was granted $1,500 for an expert to help interpret medical records the prosecution released in July after a ruling by Shelton.

Check back to AnnArbor.com later Friday for more on this case.

Comment Now