A Cheatham County grand jury indicted Christopher B. Stokes in March 2025 on a second-degree murder charge in the death of 27-year-old Ashton McGowan. McGowan died on Dec. 21, 2023, in a case authorities initially treated as a cocaine overdose; investigators later found evidence consistent with fentanyl. Stokes is being held in the Cheatham County Jail.
The Cheatham County Sheriff's Office responded to McGowan's death on Dec. 21, 2023. The case initially appeared to involve a cocaine overdose, according to authorities cited by WKRN News 2. During the investigation, officers found a substance consistent with fentanyl, Lt. Shannon Heflin said.
A Year-Long Hunt For Who Sold The Dose
Investigators spent more than a year trying to identify who sold McGowan the dose, according to Heflin. Autopsy results can take three to six months, and phone records used to trace drug sales can take additional time to obtain, the same account reported. Heflin said overdose-murder investigations in the county can take from six months to several years.
That timeline tracks with other cases out of Cheatham County. In a separate case, detectives arrested Curtis Daye 29 months after a man died of a heroin overdose in Joelton, charging him with second-degree murder, as reported by WKRN News 2. In another, a man who died on Dec. 17, 2022, from an overdose caused by methamphetamine cut with fentanyl led to the indictment of suspect Jerry Wayne Moore more than 900 days later, the station reported.
Grand Jury Hands Down Indictment
A grand jury indicted Stokes in March 2025 for second-degree murder, according to WKRN News 2. He was not immediately booked into the Cheatham County Jail because he was serving time in the Dickson County Jail on several other charges, including aggravated child abuse, the station reported. He also has a history with the Tennessee Department of Correction.
Officials said Stokes was transferred to the Cheatham County Jail after the prior case expired. He remained there as of Tuesday, booked on the second-degree murder charge. Heflin told WKRN that Stokes appeared “definitely shocked” by how the case unfolded.
Alleged High-Speed Chase With A Child In The Car
The case against Stokes also includes an allegation that predates the murder indictment: authorities say he fled a traffic stop and led deputies on a 120 mph pursuit with his 4-year-old daughter in the vehicle. That account comes from WKRN News 2's reporting and remains an allegation rather than a court finding.
Heflin said Cheatham County ranked No. 1 per capita in Tennessee for heroin overdoses and fentanyl fatalities. He said convictions can bring closure to victims' families and may deter dealers from selling drugs that kill people.
Overdose-prevention resources
For community members seeking prevention resources, the Cheatham Coalition lists online overdose-prevention training on the fourth Thursday of each month at 6 p.m. CST. The Tennessee Department of Health says its Middle High Impact Area supports initiatives to reduce overdose deaths and serves Cheatham and five other counties: Davidson, Dickson, Montgomery, Rutherford and Wilson.
Part Of A Broader Pattern Across Tennessee
Cheatham County isn't working in isolation. Back in 2017, county drug officers used toxicology results and phone records to link Christopher Stefko to fentanyl that killed a 30-year-old man, according to WHNT. Murder and attempted-murder charges against alleged drug suppliers in fatal or near-fatal overdose cases have climbed across Tennessee in recent years, according to a 2017 report from the Tennessean cited by Hoodline.
That pattern has played out elsewhere in the state this year. A Knox County grand jury indicted 32-year-old Allen Roach Jr. on second-degree murder and cocaine sale-and-delivery charges, accusing him of supplying drugs that killed a 23-year-old Madisonville woman at a Knoxville hotel, Hoodline reported. Knox County recorded 307 drug-related deaths in 2025, down from 334 the year before — an 8 percent decrease, though the numbers remain a grim backdrop for prosecutors statewide.
