Crime

Florida bachelor party goes fatally wrong. Alabama man charged in death of friend

John David Nabors was charged with the murder of his friend after Walton County Sheriff’s deputies say he gave him a lethal dose of fentanyl at a bachelor party.
John David Nabors was charged with the murder of his friend after Walton County Sheriff’s deputies say he gave him a lethal dose of fentanyl at a bachelor party.

A Florida bachelor party took a dark turn and ended with an Alabama man being arrested on murder charges Wednesday, authorities said.

John David Nabors, 26, is facing a charge of distribution of a controlled substance causing death, according to Walton County jail records. After turning himself in, he was released on a $25,000 bond Thursday.

The murder charge stems from a bachelor party held on May 14 in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office said. Nabors and four other men came together from Georgia, Alabama and Connecticut to celebrate their friend’s upcoming wedding.

Nabors had given them fentanyl, deputies said, which lead to four of them collapsing on the ground unconscious. The four men were rushed to the hospital.

Thomas Gleason, a 26-year-old Connecticut man part of the group, died a few days later. Deputies say Nabors gave him a lethal dose.

Obituary photo of Thomas Gleason
Obituary photo of Thomas Gleason Walton County Sheriff's Office

“Our Criminal Investigations Bureau was able to tie the deadly dose Gleason took to Nabors,” said Sheriff Adkinson. “This case is tragic and certainly one we want to bring to a successful prosecution for Thomas’ family.”

Devoun Cetoute
Miami Herald
Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.
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