A Trenton man has been arrested for allegedly supplying fentanyl-laced heroin to a Springfield woman who died last year from a drug overdose.
Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Burlington Township Public Safety Director Bruce Painter announced that police charged Daquan Marshall, 28, of Trenton, with one count of Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death.
Officials say Marshall originally faced drug distribution charges, but the offense was upgraded after the victim died and the investigation traced the drugs back to him.
Officials say Marshall is scheduled for a first appearance today in Superior Court in Mount Holly. The case will then be prepared for presentation to a Burlington County Grand Jury for possible indictment.
According to authorities, Marshall was taken into custody Wednesday morning at his residence by members of the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department Warrant Unit, Trenton Police, and the U.S. Marshal's Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force – Camden Division.
Burlington Township officers on October 30, 2018, were dispatched to Central Avenue for a report of a possible overdose. Upon arrival, officers discovered the victim in a bedroom with a hypodermic needle near her body.
The decedent, a 22-year-old resident of Springfield, was transported to Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County, where she died on November 4 without ever having regained consciousness. An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined that her death was due to fentanyl toxicity.
The investigation was conducted by the Burlington Township Police Department, the BCPO Gang, Gun and Narcotics Task Force, and the BCPO High-Tech Crimes Unit.
In a separate case, a 39-year-old Pemberton Township drug dealer was indicted Tuesday by a Burlington County Grand Jury for causing the death of a customer to whom he sold fentanyl-laced heroin in 2017. Bryant Taylor, whose last official address was the first block of Scrapetown Road, was indicted on one count of Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death (First Degree), two counts of Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Third Degree), two counts of
Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Third Degree), and two counts of Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance With Intent to Distribute (Third Degree).
An arraignment will be held soon in Superior Court.
The indictment stems from an incident in June 2017, when Pemberton Township police officers were called to the WaWa store on Arney’s Mount Road for a report of an unresponsive male on the men’s bathroom floor.
The 26-year-old victim died two days later in the hospital without ever regaining consciousness. The investigation determined that the drugs that caused the fatal overdose were purchased from Taylor.
Dr. Hood concluded the cause of death was heroin and fentanyl toxicity. Assistant Prosecutor Jeremy Lackey is prosecuting the cases against Marshall and Taylor.
All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. An indictment is an accusation. Defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.