Jehmar Barrett, of Lacey Township, was sentenced for manslaughter on Friday, Sept. 22 in connection with the 2020 death of a 35-year-old woman in Tomrs River according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
On Nov. 24, 2020, Toms River police responded to a residence on Alabama Avenue for a report of an unresponsive female. Police found the body of the victim, who was already dead from an apparent drug overdose, Billhimer said.
A subsequent investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and Toms River Police Department Detective Bureau determined that Barrett sold heroin and cocaine to the victim on Nov. 23, 2020, the prosecutor said.
Further investigation and toxicology analysis received by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the presence of fentanyl in the victim’s system, he said. It was determined through laboratory analysis that the controlled dangerous substance distributed to the victim by Barrett — initially believed to be heroin — was, in fact, fentanyl, matching the fentanyl found in the victim’s system, Billhiimer said.
On April 29, 2021, Barrett was charged in connection with the victim’s death.
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