Hardin County man admits to drug trafficking charges tied to teen’s fatal overdose

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An Elizabethtown man has pleaded guilty to several drug charges related to the death of a teen in 2024.

According to court documents, nineteen-year-old Damien Felker accepted a plea deal in Hardin County Circuit Court on Nov. 18. He pleaded guilty to the following charges:

First-degree trafficking in a controlled substance resulting in death;
Trafficking in marijuana
Possession of drug paraphernalia
Unlawful transaction with a minor younger than 18 with a controlled substance
Tampering with physical evidence

Felker and another man -- 18-year-old Aadyn Kristopher-Nelson Durbin -- were arrested and charged in 2024 after 17-year-old Hayden Willet died after taking a counterfeit prescription pill laced with fentanyl. Investigators said the counterfeit pills that were sold resemble legitimate Percocet but contain fentanyl.

A juvenile was also arrested in the case and charged with first-degree manslaughter, trafficking in a controlled substance, and trafficking in marijuana.

According to the plea deal, Felker will serve 10 years for all charges. All counts will run consecutive with one another, with parole eligibility in five years. But if Felker testifies untruthfully in other cases, his 10-year sentence will be voided and he will instead serve 20 years.

Felker remains in custody at the Nelson County Jail on a $250,000 bond on separate charges. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 6.

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