Burlington County authorities said a 41-year-old Philadelphia drug dealer has been charged with causing the death of a Marlton man who fatally overdosed last year in a Mount Laurel hotel room.
According to officials, Mr. Robert Quintua was charged with Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death (First Degree). In January, he was taken into custody and extradited Tuesday to Mount Holly, where he was lodged in the Burlington County Jail.
Officials said he will face a detention hearing in Superior Court in the near future, and the case will then be prepared for presentation to a grand jury for possible indictment.
The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said the investigation began April 17, 2020, after officers from the Mount Laurel Township Police Department were dispatched to the Holiday Inn Express on Crawford Place for a report of an unconscious male who was believed to be deceased. Upon arrival, they discovered the body of Mr. Raymond Stutzer III, 44, of Marlton.
Officials said the investigation determined that Stutzer had purchased the drugs that caused his death three days earlier from Quintua at a convenience store in the Frankford section of Philadelphia.
Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood performed an autopsy determined that Stutzer died of fentanyl and heroin toxicity.
The case was investigated by the Mount Laurel Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office Gang, Gun and Narcotics Task Force, with assistance from the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit.
Officials said Assistant Prosecutor Jeremy Lackey will prosecute Quintua.
Since 2017, there have been 26 defendants charged in Burlington County with Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death. Ten have been convicted or pled guilty, and another four have been indicted. The remaining cases are pending presentation to a grand jury.