A Holbrook man pleaded guilty to selling fentanyl that resulted in the death of a 31-year-old Lake Grove woman.
Jaquan Casserly, 34, pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance for selling fentanyl to Chelsey Murray that resulted in her fatal overdose in 2022.
Chelsey’s parents, Gene and Sue Murray, recently joined Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney in Albany to call for New York State lawmakers to pass Chelsey’s Law, which if passed, would charge a drug dealer with manslaughter or aggravated manslaughter, for knowingly selling a drug that causes a victim to fatally overdose.
On August 18, 2022, Chelsey was found unresponsive in the bathroom by her mother, and police responded to the Murray residence. Chelsey was administered Narcan, which works to reverse the effects of fentanyl, and she regained a pulse. Chelsey was then transported to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she ultimately passed away several days later as a result of a drug overdose.
Following Chelsey’s hospitalization, an undercover detective from the Suffolk County Police Department contacted Casserly and arranged for a sale of narcotics. Casserly then sold the undercover detective a combination of heroin and fentanyl contained in a red glassine envelope, which police were able to establish was similar to the one that Chelsey’s father Gene found in the bathroom where Chelsey overdosed.
On August 27, 2022, police executed a search warrant at Casserly’s residence and recovered a combination of heroin and fentanyl, a digital scale used to weigh narcotics, red and black glassine/wax envelopes used to package narcotics, a pair of metal knuckles, and Casserly’s cell phone. The red envelopes were similar in appearance to the ones sold to the undercover detective. A search of Casserly’s phone showed that he arranged to meet Chelsey on August 17, 2022, offering to sell her “fetty mix,” a street term used to describe a mix of fentanyl and heroin.
Prior to this case, Casserly was previously convicted of third-degree attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance in 2018, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance in 2011. On April 5, 2024, Casserly pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a Class B felony, before Acting Supreme Court Judge Steven A. Pilewski.
Casserly is due back in court for sentencing on May 8, 2024, and is expected to be sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by three years of post-release supervision.
“We are resolute on our commitment to ensure that the suppliers of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Tierney said. “Not only do these greedy dealers supply deadly drugs to vulnerable individuals, but they also can literally kill them with just a tiny amount. That is why I continue to advocate for the passage of ‘Chelsey’s Law,’ a law that holds drug dealers accountable for the overdose deaths caused by the drugs they sell.”