Charges filed in overdose death
LANSDALE >> A Philadelphia man is in jail and awaiting a preliminary hearing on charges he allegedly provided a fatal dose of heroin and fentanyl to a Hatfield man.
Derrick Jackson, 58, of the 7600 block of Gilbert Street, was arraigned before District Court Judge Edward Levine on charges of drug delivery resulting in death, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, criminal use of a communication facility and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the Sept. 30, 2020, overdose death of Jason Evans, 49, of Hatfield.
Levine set Jackson’s bail at $250,000 cash, which Jackson was unable to post. Jackson remains in the county jail while awaiting his April 21 preliminary hearing on the charges.
The charges against Jackson were announced on Monday by Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Hatfield Township Police Chief William Tierney.
“The defendant was selling poison and branding it ‘BAD BUNNY.’ And in pursuit of making money, this defendant left a wake of death and destruction behind,” Steele said on Monday. “There are far too many lives cut short by overdose deaths, and law enforcement in Montgomery County will continue to be vigilant in holding drug dealers accountable for selling the deadly drugs that kill people.”
The investigation began about 7:23 a.m. Sept. 30, 2020, when Hatfield Township police re
sponded to an apartment on Penn Avenue for a report of a cardiac emergency and discovered Evans unresponsive in his bed, according to the criminal complaint filed by Hatfield Township Detective Alex Marchak and county Detective Andrew Rook.
Attempts were made to revive Evans, but they were unsuccessful, and Evans was pronounced dead. Police located small plastic bags, stamped “BAD BUNNY,” which contained a substance later determined to be heroin and fentanyl, at the scene, according to court papers.
An autopsy, including toxicology tests, subsequently determined that Evans died from a lethal dose of fentanyl and heroin in his system, and that it was a direct and substantial factor in his death, detectives alleged.
The investigation uncovered several other overdoses involving “BAD BUNNY” stamped bags of heroin and fentanyl and learned that Evans had previously overdosed and survived on July 24, 2020, and Sept. 5, 2019, according to the arrest affidavit.
The investigation determined that the “BAD BUNNY” baggies were being sold by Jackson, who knew Evans. “BAD BUNNY” bags of suspected heroin/fentanyl were also found by Philadelphia police in Jackson’s car during a traffic stop on Dec. 14, 2019, detectives alleged.
Through multiple interviews, cell phone analysis and video surveillance, detectives learned that Evans had purchased heroin/ fentanyl from Jackson two days prior to his death, as well as purchased drugs from Jackson prior to his other non-fatal overdoses, according to court documents.
Assistant District Attorney Evan Correia is prosecuting the case.