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Drug Dealer Gets 8 Years For Burlington County College Student's Fentanyl-Heroin OD Death

A Burlington County man was sentenced to eight years in state prison for causing the death of a 21-year-old college student who overdosed on fentanyl-laced heroin that she purchased from him, authorities said.

Tessa McCullough, 21, overdosed on fentanyl-laced heroin sold to her by Terrence D. Walker and died.

Tessa McCullough, 21, overdosed on fentanyl-laced heroin sold to her by Terrence D. Walker and died.

Photo Credit: Burlington County Prosecutor's Office/Tessa McCullough Instagram

Terrance D. Walker, 38, of the Browns Mills section of Pemberton, pleaded guilty last August to strict liability for the drug-induced death of Tessa McCullough.

Walker must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, Prosecutor Scott Coffina said.

The investigation began in May 2019, when McCullough overdosed in her Pemberton Township home. She was transported to Mount Holly Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined that McCullough's death was due to fentanyl toxicity, Coffina said.  

An investigation found she bought the drugs from Walker, who must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole, Coffina said.

Since his October 2019 arrest at a motel, Walker was being held in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly. He was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Jeremy Lackey.

A Willingboro native, McCullough was a student at Rowan College of Burlington County when she died, according to her obituary. She worked at Laurita Winery in New Egypt and ShopRite in Hainesport, and graduated from the Burlington County Institute of Technology in 2015.

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