Convicted felon now indicted on felony murder charges following woman’s drug overdose death

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -A Savannah man was indicted on felony murder and other charges in connection with the April 2026 overdose death of a 30-year-old woman, who authorities say was given a substance containing fentanyl.

48-year-old Michael William Eden was indicted by a Chatham County grand jury in a special presentment.

Prosecutors allege Eden gave Taylor Reed Williams a substance containing fentanyl on April 6, 2026, representing it as a controlled substance. Williams died the following day, April 7, 2026 when she was 30 years old.

He was arrested by the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team.

Eden was denied bond in the meantime and is due back in court Sept. 24 to enter a plea.

Charges

The indictment includes the following charges against Eden:

• Felony murder
• Aggravated involuntary manslaughter
• Sale of fentanyl
• Sale of alprazolam
• 2x Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

The felony murder and aggravated involuntary manslaughter charges were specially presented, with the indictment noting Eden sold the substance “without any intention” to cause Williams’ death.

Authorities say he was found in possession of a shotgun and a .38 pistol.

Bond denied

A judge denied Eden bond on the grounds that he poses a significant risk of fleeing or failing to appear, a significant risk of committing a new offense while out on bond, and he’s a risk to the community.

Recidivist designation sought

The Chatham County District Attorney’s Office is seeking to have Eden charged as a recidivist. Court records show he has multiple prior convictions, including:

• Theft by receiving
• Interference with government property (two counts)
• Misrepresenting a non-controlled substance
• Possession of a controlled substance

About the victim, Taylor Reed Williams

Taylor Williams, 30, worked as a waitress at Mellow Mushroom in Savannah. Her family described her as “a beloved daughter, sister, aunt and friend whose spirit will be cherished and remembered forever.”

“Taylor’s vibrant soul will forever inspire and guide those who were fortunate to know her,” her family said in her obituary.

How these cases are prosecuted

Boone Phillips, a Chatham County attorney with experience on both the prosecution and defense sides of drug cases, said felony murder charges in overdose cases have come up in the county on numerous occasions, though convictions remain rare.

“I’ve seen it happen in Chatham County,” Phillips said. “While we’ve seen a lot of murder charges come from it, [we’re] seeing very few convictions for someone selling drugs that cause the death of someone else. It’s a very hard thing to prove.”

Phillips said the state’s primary goal in bringing such charges is accountability.

“The state’s just looking to hold someone accountable for this,” he said. “I know that they’ve been successful, I know that they’ll be successful again, but it is hard for the state to prove something like that just in general.”

Phillips said the central challenge for prosecutors is establishing a direct link between a specific seller and the drugs that caused a death.

“You’ve got to prove where the drugs came from, and unless you have a lot of forensic evidence showing that someone received drugs from that person in a very isolated point of time, it’s hard to say where they got the drugs and who’s responsible for selling the drugs,” he said.

Many times, drug users have multiple sources they could get drugs from.

“You’ve got to prove that the client sold the drugs to the individual that died, and that those were actually the drugs that were used, and someone that uses drugs may have several different sources to receive drugs, and so proving a specific source, beyond a reasonable doubt, is a very tall task,” he said.

He added that plea bargaining is often how the state seeks accountability in these cases, rather than pursuing a full trial.

Fentanyl surge drove earlier wave of charges

Phillips said the issue was most prominent in Chatham County during the period when fentanyl first entered the local drug supply.

“Several years ago, fentanyl was a very big problem in our community,” he said. “Back when fentanyl was first kind of introduced to our area, I saw probably the most I’ve ever seen in terms of overdoses, people being charged with murder due to the overdose.”

He said that wave has since subsided and he has not seen as many such cases in recent years.

Savannah’s geography and poverty cited as factors

Phillips pointed to Savannah’s location and economic conditions as contributing factors to the volume of drugs in the area.

“Being that we’ve got such a big port community here, I know that a lot of drugs come through the ports, I know that a lot of drugs come through Mexico, a lot of drugs come from Atlanta, and we are right in the middle of all that,” he said. “We get a large amount of drug trafficking individuals that come through our community, whether it’s through I-95 or I-16, just being where we are. We see a large influx of drugs.”

He said the volume of drug activity in the area makes it difficult to trace the origin of any one supply.

“So many people in this community are likely selling drugs,” Phillips said. “We’ve got a lot of poverty in Savannah, and I think that’s a big part of it too. People who can’t pay their light bill, maybe they do something a little more risky like sell drugs because they have to make ends meet.”

We will continue to follow Eden’s case as he makes his plea in court in the coming weeks.