PALM BAY, Fla. – A 35-year-old man is accused of killing his grandfather, who was in hospice care, by giving him prescription medication, according to an affidavit for arrest warrant.

Christopher Michael Balter, 35, was arrested on Aug. 3, months after the death of his grandfather.

According to an affidavit for arrest warrant, a childhood friend of Balter reported on Feb. 3 to Palm Bay police that he had texted her that his grandfather passed away. She told police that Balter’s grandfather was in his 90s and in hospice care. He lived with his grandfather in Palm Bay.

The friend then called Balter to make sure he was OK and while on the phone, she said he told her that he had “killed” his grandfather by giving him Balter’s own prescription medication, the affidavit reads.

He then told her that his grandfather was about to be cremated, so there would be no evidence of that happening, according to the affidavit. He explained to her that his grandfather had been in a “vegetative” state and had not moved or spoken in four days.

She told police she was scared of reporting the call as Balter was currently the director of Planning and Development for Indian River County. His current status with the county is not known.

Police then had her call Balter and put him on speaker phone so it could be recorded by officers. During the phone call, the two argued about the death of Balter’s grandfather, the affidavit said.

“I’m nervous about what you said about grandpa,” she said.

“OK, people do that all the time to help people out. That is what hospice is. They load them full of f***ing pain meds and ease their way out,” Balter replies, according to the affidavit.

She told him that he had told her he killed his grandfather, and he replied, “I didn’t kill him. I helped him out,” the affidavit reads.

Police confirmed with an autopsy that the grandfather had been given Ambien, which was not one of his prescriptions, and that the “combination of morphine, zolpidem (Ambien) and Lorazepam toxicity cannot be ruled out as contributory to the death,” according to the medical examiner.

Detectives also located a quit claim deed that had the childhood friend’s signature as a witness. She told police she had never signed the document, and police determined Balter had forged her signature, according to the affidavit. The deed was for his grandfather’s home.

Balter faces charges of delivery of a controlled substance and forgery. He has since bonded out of jail.