Court appearance delayed in fentanyl death case; accused wouldn’t leave his cell

Any sense of closure for family and friends in the death of Shawn Kelly Jr. will have wait at least another two weeks as one of the accused in his fentanyl-heroin overdose refused to leave his jail cell Friday morning.

Tahir Ali, 55, of Innisfil, has been charged with manslaughter in Kelly’s death and was to make an appearance in a Barrie courtroom today, where Kelly’s family members were prepared to address the court.

“As of 3 p.m., yesterday, everything was a go-ahead for today and then this morning he refused to leave his cell,” Kelly’s mother, Denise Lane, told BarrieToday.

“It’s just a big waste of time,” she added. “We were ready to give victim impact statements. We all took time away from work and he gets to play these f–king games. It’s ridiculous.”

On April 24, Ali was committed to trial on five counts, including manslaughter, two counts of possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking, and two counts of trafficking fentanyl.

Investigators have alleged Ali was using his taxi cab to sell drugs.

Ali is scheduled to appear via video on Friday, June 28.

Kelly, 23, was found dead the morning of April 10, 2017, by his mother and his sister, Megan, in their Innisfil home.

Toxicology results confirmed Kelly died from a lethal concoction of fentanyl and heroin.

Kelly’s friend, 25-year-old Ryan Walker, sold him the drugs that caused the fatal overdose and was sentenced to five years in prison in March. Walker, who was also initially charged with manslaughter, pleaded guilty to negligence causing death and trafficking a controlled substance last December. 

The case marks the first time South Simcoe police laid manslaughter charges in connection to a fentanyl overdose.