Holbrook Father Pleads Guilty After 14-Month-Old Dies in Drug-Fueled Tragedy
Credit: Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office
SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y. – Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced today that Wilkens Adonis, 39, of Holbrook, pleaded guilty to Manslaughter for his role in the fatal overdose of his 14-month-old son.
District Attorney Tierney expressed his deep sorrow over the case, calling it one of the most heartbreaking his office has ever encountered. "The death of Joseph Adonis represents one of the most heartbreaking cases our office has ever handled," said District Attorney Tierney. "Because of this defendant’s extreme recklessness here, we were able to charge him with manslaughter. In most cases like these, we cannot charge manslaughter or murder, and that’s why we need the New York Legislature to pass Chelsey’s Law."
Details of the Incident
On the morning of January 3, 2024, Suffolk County Police responded to a 911 call reporting an unresponsive child at a residence in Holbrook. Upon arriving at the scene, police officers discovered both Adonis and his girlfriend’s 14-month-old son unresponsive in the bedroom. The child was immediately rushed to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A subsequent investigation revealed that the bedroom where the child was found contained narcotics and drug paraphernalia. Suffolk County Homicide Squad detectives, along with the Suffolk County Narcotics Section, uncovered over one-eighth ounce of heroin and fentanyl, over one-eighth ounce of cocaine, alprazolam, methadone, drug packaging materials, digital scales, an electronic stun gun, a loaded shotgun, and a rifle—all of which were unsecured and easily accessible to the children in the home.
Cause of Death
An autopsy performed by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that the cause of death was acute mixed drug intoxication, with the child having ingested a fatal combination of heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl.
Credit: Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office
Charges and Plea
On March 17, 2024, Adonis pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class C felony, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a Class C felony, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Class A misdemeanor. Adonis now faces a maximum sentence of 5 to 15 years in prison.
He is scheduled to return to court on April 17, 2025, for sentencing.