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Two years after The Wire star Michael K. Williams died of a drug overdose, series creator David Simon has penned a letter asking for leniency for one of the defendants charged with allegedly selling Williams the drugs.
“He would want me to write this letter,” Simon wrote in the three-page missive to Manhattan judge Ronnie Abrams, per The New York Times.
Simon wrote the letter on behalf of defendant Carlos Macci, a 71-year-old who has pled guilty to possessing and distributing narcotics. Macci and three other men could be facing up to ten years in prison after being charged with selling Williams the fentanyl-laced heroin.
“What happened to Mike is a grievous tragedy,” Simon wrote. “But I know that Michael would look upon the undone and desolate life of Mr. Macci and know two things with certainty: First, that it was Michael who bears the fuller responsibility for what happened. No possible good can come from incarcerating a 71-year-old soul, largely illiterate, who has himself struggled with a lifetime of addiction.”
Simon went on to write that Williams was “one of the finest actors with whom I have had the honor to collaborate,” adding, “I never failed to see him take responsibility for himself and his decisions.”
Williams, who was best known for playing drug dealer Omar Little in The Wire, passed away in 2021 at the age of 54. He was found in his New York City apartment by his nephew after he died of a suspected drug overdose.
At the time of his death, Simon remembered Williams as “a fine man and a rare talent,” writing on Twitter, “Too gutted right now to say all that ought to be said… On our journey together he always deserved the best words. And today those words won’t come.”
The series creator said The Wire was “a stabilizing influence” in Williams’ life when he was struggling with addiction issues, per The New York Times.
“He readily agreed to let us help him address his drug use, going so far as to seek the constant companionship of a crew member whose job was to assure some distance between Mike and temptation,” he said.
After The Wire ended in 2008, Williams continued to cement himself as a memorable dramatic actor, nabbing five Emmy nominations across his work in Lovecraft Country, When They See Us and The Night Of.
