Dwayne Legette, 51, faces a recommended eight-year prison sentence after admitting to supplying fentanyl that ultimately caused another man's death.
MAYS LANDING, N.J. — A 51-year-old Somers Point man has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a fatal fentanyl overdose on Christmas Day 2023, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
Dwayne Legette pleaded guilty Monday, November 2, to first-degree strict liability drug-induced death and third-degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend an eight-year sentence in New Jersey State Prison for the drug-induced death charge. Legette would be required to serve 85% of that sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
He also faces a concurrent five-year prison sentence for the drug distribution charge, meaning both sentences would be served at the same time.
Following his release, Legette would be subject to five years of parole supervision.
Christmas Day Overdose Investigation
The case began on December 25, 2023, when Somers Point police responded to a report of an unresponsive man.
Officers arrived and found the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
During the investigation, police recovered a small amount of suspected controlled dangerous substances. Laboratory testing subsequently confirmed the substance was fentanyl.
The Medical Examiner's Office determined that the man's cause of death was fentanyl intoxication.
According to prosecutors, evidence established that Legette sold fentanyl to another individual, who then provided the drug to the victim.
The victim ingested the fentanyl and suffered a fatal overdose.
Authorities did not identify the victim in the information released.
New Jersey's Strict Liability Drug-Induced Death Law
New Jersey law allows prosecutors to hold a person criminally responsible for a drug-related death when that person distributes a controlled dangerous substance that results in a fatal overdose.
The first-degree offense, known as strict liability for drug-induced death, can carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Unlike a traditional murder prosecution, the charge does not require prosecutors to prove that the distributor intended to kill the person who died.
The law can also apply when the drugs pass through another individual before reaching the person who suffers the fatal overdose.
In this case, prosecutors said Legette supplied the fentanyl to an intermediary who subsequently gave it to the victim.
Sentencing Pending
The plea agreement calls for a recommended eight-year sentence on the first-degree charge, with 85% to be served before parole eligibility, along with a concurrent five-year sentence for drug distribution.
The proposed sentence remains subject to the court's approval at sentencing.
A sentencing date was not provided in the prosecutor's announcement.
The investigation was conducted by the Somers Point Police Department and the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office Gangs, Guns, and Narcotics Unit.
