Surveillance Video Leads Grand Jury to Indict West Yarmouth Man on Manslaughter Charges in Double Overdose Deaths

YARMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS — A Barnstable County grand jury has indicted a 29-year-old West Yarmouth man on two counts of manslaughter for his role in the fatal overdoses of two men at Englewood Beach last October. Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois announced today that the grand jury returned the indictments on June 12, 2026, against Malik Franklin. The victims have been identified as Dean Monterio and Lucas Escabi. On October 27, 2024, their bodies were discovered at Englewood Beach. Preliminary findings pointed to overdoses on illegal narcotics. Investigators with the Massachusetts State Police, working under Operation Last Call and assigned to the Cape & Islands DA’s Office, examined the victims’ phones and reviewed beach surveillance footage. The video shows both men entering Franklin’s vehicle. They consumed illegal narcotics in the backseat before exiting the car and collapsing to the ground. Franklin initially drove away but quickly returned, got out, walked over to each victim, and then left the scene again. Phone records showed that Monterio’s last three calls that night were to Franklin. Investigators determined the men had met Franklin earlier that evening in Hyannis before meeting him a second time at the beach. Franklin was arraigned today in Barnstable Superior Court and ordered held on $100,000 bail. His next court date is July 17, 2026. No booking photo of the suspect was provided with today’s press release. First Assistant District Attorney Jessica Elumba will prosecute the case. The investigation was conducted by the Massachusetts State Police Detectives Unit assigned to the Cape & Islands DA’s Office, the State Police STOP unit, the Yarmouth Police Department, and the Mashpee Police Department. “Fatal overdose investigations are among the most difficult cases our prosecutors and law enforcement partners undertake,” District Attorney Galibois said. “The outstanding work of the investigators and officers whose diligence, attention to detail, and unwavering commitment to public safety led to these indictments. Their efforts reflect our shared determination to combat the overdose crisis and provide some solace to the victims’ loved ones.” All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.