A Nova Scotia man has been found not guilty in the prescription drug death of another man.

Kyle David Fredericks, 23, of Kentville has been acquitted of criminal negligence causing death and drug trafficking in a controlled substance in the death of Joshua Graves.

The 21-year-old man died suddenly at a house party in Berwick on March 19, 2011.

An autopsy showed Graves overdosed on a fatal mixture of alcohol and hydromorphone – often referred to as dilaudid.

Graves' death became the driving force of a grassroots campaign – led by his sister Amy Graves – to get prescription drugs off the streets of the Annapolis Valley.

Police say information received from a public complaint led to the criminal charges against Fredericks, who was accused of giving Graves the pill at a house party the night before.

“I think it’s a tragedy that the young man died, whether or not the other one was responsible,” says one Kentville resident. “The court has decided not, so, you know, I would have to respect that.”

The judge said the case “arose out of a very sad and senseless tragedy” but that it’s impossible to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Fredericks caused or contributed to Grave’s death.

Frederickswas the first person in Nova Scotia to be charged with criminal negligence causing death and trafficking in connection with a drug-related death.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster