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Antoine Crawley, 35, of Pemberton's Sunbury Village section, was charged by a grand jury in the death of 27-year-old Brittney Wallace, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said.
An autopsy found that the fentanyl level in Wallace's system was more than five times the lethal dose, authorities said.
The indictment returned June 24 charges Crawley with strict liability for drug-induced death, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled dangerous substance.
He pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in Superior Court earlier this week and is being lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly awaiting trial.
Crawley was indicted last month in a separate case with two co-defendants on drug possession charges stemming from an incident where an officer found heroin and cocaine in their vehicle during a traffic stop, early last year in New Hanover Township.
Crawley’s co-defendant, Danielle Knight, 42, of Wrightstown, pleaded guilty to strict liability and was released pending sentencing.
An investigation began Aug. 19, 2019, when Wallace's parents found her unconscious and unresponsive in a bathroom at their house.
She was taken to Capital Health at Deborah – Emergency Services, where she was later pronounced dead.
An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined that Wallace died of fentanyl toxicity. The fentanyl level in her system was more than five times the lethal dose.
The investigation found that Knight instructed Crawley to deliver drugs to Wallace at her home.
Crawley and Knight are being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Jeremy Lackey.
The case was investigated by detectives from the Pemberton Township Police Department, with assistance from the Prosecutor’s Office Gang, Gun and Narcotics Task Force and K-9 Officer Ringo from the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department.
The lead investigator is Pemberton Township Detective Joshua Danka.
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