Mainer following band dies in Virginia motel

SALEM, Va. – Two fans following a rock band apparently overdosed on drugs in a motel Monday, and a man traveling with them was charged in their deaths.

Alcohol and “crushed-up morphine” killed 18-year-old Andrew Briggs of Shelburne, Vt., and 20-year-old Amanda Parks of Portland, Maine, according to Salem public information officer Melinda Payne.

They were part of a group following the band String Cheese Incident, Payne said.

Matthew Sebas, 19, was charged with two counts of second-degree homicide and two counts of distribution of a controlled substance. He has no permanent address, Payne said.

“He’s just sort of drifting, following this group around,” Payne said. She said he was charged after he told police he gave the victims the morphine.

Payne said the case is under investigation and autopsy reports are expected within four to six weeks, Payne said.

String Cheese Incident is an improvisational band, based in Boulder, Colo., that mixes bluegrass, African and Latin music.

A traveling group of fans attended a concert at Washington and Lee University in Lexington on Saturday and planned to attend a show scheduled for Monday at Virginia Tech, officials said.