An Olathe man will spend more than 15 years in prison for selling drugs that caused another Olathe man to fatally overdose in 2020.
On Jan. 29 in Johnson County District Court, Gerrell M. McKoy, of Olathe, was sentenced to 184 months in prison for one count distribution of drugs causing death, and 12 months for theft by deception between $25,000 and $100,000, both felonies.
McKoy will serve the sentence at the Kansas Department of Corrections. Following his release, he will serve an additional 36 months of supervised parole.
Judge Thomas Sutherland handed down the punishments. They will run concurrently.
In October 2025, McKoy pleaded guilty to both charges, including selling drugs to an Olathe man who later died after taking them. Kelly Driscoll, a public defender and McKoy’s attorney, did not return a request for comment from the Johnson County Post.
McKoy sold the victim drugs in 2020
On March 26, 2020, Olathe Police responded to a call of an unresponsive individual, identified in court records as Michael Danilov, 25, of Olathe.
A caller told the 911 dispatcher they last talked to Danilov at 3 a.m. when he was playing video games. Later, when the caller went to check on him, they found him slumped over on his desk, cold and unresponsive, according to court documents.
Because Danilov’s death took place during a heightened time of the COVID-19 pandemic, and because the caller said he was showing flu-like symptoms before his death, Olathe police took caution. Still, they determined Danilov’s body had the physical characteristics of a drug overdose.
Near Danilov, police found four 30-mg Oxycodone pills, as well as a hardcover book, credit card and $10 bill that court documents said are often used to consume the pills.
A final autopsy on April 30, 2020, determined he had died of fentanyl intoxication.
Police discovered McKoy sold the drugs
After being tipped off by a friend of Danilov’s, Olathe Police executed a search warrant for McKoy and Danilov’s Snapchat accounts and found a conversation between March 15-16, 2020, where they discuss a drug purchase of five M30 Oxycodone pills, also known as “blues.”
On March 16, 2020, Danilov responded to McKoy asking if the drugs he was sold were “legit” and that they felt “stronger than normal,” according to court documents.
McKoy responded that they were legitimate and that he himself had just taken one.
Following that, Danilov sent McKoy a string of incoherent messages. McKoy responded, asking Danilov if he was OK and called him.
When police spoke with McKoy, he said he sold pills to Danilov and was concerned when he wasn’t able to reach him after the sale, according to court records.
Danilov was a musician and server
Danilov loved listening to music and traveling to see his favorite bands, as well as gaming, having adventures and making memories with family and friends, according to his obituary.
On Facebook, friends and family created a group compiling photos, videos and memories of Danilov.
“One of his best qualities, besides being an amazing human, was his well-rounded music taste. He showed me music I would never have heard of if it weren’t for him. He was truly a gem,” one friend wrote.
Other recent fentanyl convictions have occurred in JoCo
On Feb. 5 in Johnson County District Court, Treger M. Samuels was sentenced to 84 months in prison for Distribution of Drugs Causing Death in the fatal overdose of Ericka Grigsby, 20, of Olathe, on Feb. 14, 2023. it was handed down by Judge Jason Billam.
“It’s about time Ericka finally got some justice, just in time for the 3rd anniversary of her death on the 14th,” Ashley Grigsby, her sister, posted on social media.
In January, Steven Cutler, 36, of Olathe, was charged with nine felonies for allegedly selling drugs that resulted in the death of a 32-year-old man in March 2025. He has a status conference hearing on at 9 a.m. on March 9.
Go deeper: Man pleads guilty to selling fentanyl in fatal Olathe overdose case
