Man gets 12 years for sale of deadly narcotics

MIDDLETOWN — A 36-year-old city man sentenced Tuesday will serve 12 years in prison following the drug overdose death of a 21-year-old woman, according to court officials.

Angel Gonzalez, of Middletown, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, felony narcotics charges, and risk of injury related to the sale of fentanyl that resulted in the overdose death, Middlesex State’s Attorney Michael A. Gailor said in a release.

The investigation, conducted by the Investigative Services Division of the Middletown Police Department, showed that Gonzalez, who knew the victim well, sold her fentanyl on April 29, 2019, according to court documents and evidence heard in Superior Court at Middletown.

“Mr. Gonzalez did so, even though the victim’s boyfriend implored him not to do so because of the victim’s severe addiction to drugs. In order to avoid interference from the boyfriend, Mr. Gonzalez arranged to conduct the transaction in a parking lot of a local retail store. The victim was found deceased the following morning,” Gailor said.

Gonzalez admitted that empty bags found near the victim’s body were those in which the fentanyl he sold to her were packaged, the release said, adding an autopsy confirmed that the fentanyl was the cause of the victim’s death.

Further investigation revealed that Gonzalez was paying a 15-year-old girl to store narcotics in her room, the release said. When police executed a search warrant on the girl’s room, they located 360 bags of fentanyl, court documents show.

Judge Vernon Oliver sentenced Gonzalez to 12 years followed by 95 months of special parole. “It is too easy to view drug crimes as victimless. But cases like this remind us of the human cost which cannot be ignored,” Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Shay said in court, according to the release. “For people like Mr. Gonzalez, money is more valuable than human life, even when it is the life of someone they know.”