Pasco man arrested on murder charge in fatal fentanyl overdose

A New Port Richey man was arrested Monday on a first-degree murder charge that stems from a fatal fentanyl overdose in Pasco County, according to court records and arrest reports.

An arrest warrant states on the morning of May 11, a woman drove her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend Robert Michelmore, 41, to multiple locations in the Hudson and Port Richey area including a Best Buy, according to court records.

Michelmore would later admit to deputies that he put fentanyl in his girlfriend’s purse while at Best Buy. According to court records, he had bought fentanyl the day before and sent the woman a text stating, “I got some fetty.”

The girlfriend’s mother dropped Michelmore off at his house before returning home with her daughter that afternoon. Once home, the daughter said she was going to watch a movie, records state. About two hours later, the mother found her daughter unresponsive on a loveseat.

Deputies responded to the residence in Hudson after the mother called 911. They found the daughter’s cell phone next to her on the seat, with a text message from Michelmore reading, “I tried calling you and you wouldn’t answer the phone, how is it,” according to court records.

An autopsy showed the woman had died from a combination of drugs, including fentanyl.

Michelmore admitted he warned the woman the substance was strong, and that it could kill her. According to court records, Michelmore told the woman to only take “a little bit” because he “didn’t want her to die.”

Last Thursday, Michelmore was indicted on a charge of “death caused by the unlawful distribution of fentanyl,” according to Pasco County court records. The warrant for his arrest was issued the same day.

Michelmore was arrested by Clearwater police at the Florida Department Of Corrections Probation And Parole Services location in downtown Clearwater on Monday, according to records. Michelmore was then booked at the Pinellas County jail on the Pasco murder warrant.

State corrections records show Michelmore is currently on probation in connection with an arrest on charges of retail theft and trespassing in March. His probation was scheduled to last until October 2023.

He was being held without bail at the Pinellas jail as of Thursday.