Three people have been charged with murder months after fatal exposure to fentanyl in Pinellas County Jail

CLEARWATER, Florida. – In February, fentanyl was smuggled into the Pinellas County Jail, leading to an inmate's fatal overdose, and now he has been indicted by a grand jury for murder.

According to court documents in July, a grand jury indicted three inmates – Zachary DeCarlo, Wayne Wilson and Jason Canady – on charges of first-degree murder with fentanyl.

The indictment states that DeCarlo was arrested on cocaine possession on Feb. 2 and swallowed fentanyl that was in a bag the same day before he was booked into jail. About a week later, on Feb. 10, he passed on the drugs and allegedly made a deal with Canady to sell fentanyl through CashApp in exchange for cafeteria fees and $50, the indictment states.

Mugshots courtesy of: Pinellas County Jail

The documents also say Canady worked with Wilson to distribute the drugs. The drugs made their way into the cells of seven prison inmates, all of whom were affected, the indictment says. Inmate Jesse Stout died of a fentanyl overdose and six other inmates suffered overdoses and were revived with Narcan before being transported to local hospitals.

According to the indictment, fentanyl lines were made and one inmate “confessed to officers that they all snorted fentanyl.” Inmate James Vella was named as one of them, but he and his mother told FOX 13 that he did not take fentanyl.

“I have really bad memory loss now. I remember being in my room and everything going dark and stuff. And then I woke up and someone was pressing on my chest,” said James Vella, speaking to his mother during a virtual visit. “They asked, 'What did I take?' and I didn't take anything. So I just pretended I didn't take anything.”

PREVIOUS: Fentanyl contact kills inmate in Pinellas County jail, several others hospitalized: “We are drug addicts”

JoAnn Vella, James' mother, said her son suffered memory loss as a result of the fentanyl overdose.

“[I] “I later learned he was dead for about 15 to 20 minutes. Seven Narcan ventilators were put in place at the jail and I believe three at the hospital. They were put on a ventilator,” said JoAnn Vella.

Vella's mother said she did not expect drugs, especially fentanyl, to be present in a prison.

“I'm pretty shocked about this. I thought this was a safe place for him, where he would be safe, where nothing worse could happen to him than living on the streets. And then something happened that was just as bad as if he was on the streets,” Vella said.

James Vella told FOX 13 that inmates undergo full-body scans. The fact that fentanyl is getting into prison is puzzling to some recovery experts who visit prisons.

“What surprises me is that it got to the Pinellas County Jail. I mean, that's just scary,” said John Templeton Jr., president and founder of Footprints Beachside Recovery Center.

READ: Sheriff Grady Judd: Group of illegal immigrants stole property worth nearly $1.7 million across Florida

“I feel like it seeps into all areas of our lives. I mean, prison is not a social place. But the fact that they were able to get to such a safe place doesn't really let you hide from it.”

One of the inmates, who was initially hospitalized, was later released from prison and died of an overdose in Pasco County, the indictment states.

The Footprints founder said fentanyl remains a dangerous and highly addictive drug in the community, so it is important that inmates have access to rehabilitation programs.

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: