Pair admits role in fatal overdose
Two men admitted to their roles in the overdose death of a woman who authorities said died of complications of fentanyl and xylazine intoxication at an Upper Providence residence.
Jonathan M. Heffren, 27, of the 3900 block of Moyer Avenue, Exeter Township, Berks County, and Michael T. Lavelle, 24, of the unit block of Hilltop Road, Plymouth Township, Montgomery County, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to felony charges of drug delivery resulting in death and conspiracy to commit possession with intent to deliver controlled substances in connection with the May 16, 2022, death of 41-year-old Jessica Martin in Upper Providence.
The open guilty pleas mean Heffren and Lavelle have no deals with prosecutors regarding their potential sentences. Judge Thomas P. Rogers, who will have sole discretion in fashioning the sentences, remanded both men to the county jail without bail to await a sentencing hearing at a later date.
The charge of drug delivery resulting in death carries a possible maximum prison sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison. However, state sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.
Marrissa Roman, 29, of Amity Township, Berks County, the third person charged in connection with the fatal overdose, is still awaiting court action on identical charges.
Assistant District Attorney Lindsey Mills and co-prosecutor Robert Joseph Waeltz Jr. are prosecuting the case. With the charges, prosecutors alleged Heffren, Lavelle and Roman conspired to deliver the drugs to Martin.
The investigation began about 8:26 p.m. May 16, when Upper Providence police responded to a residence in the unit block of Providence Forge Road for a reported cardiac arrest. Arriving officers found Martin unresponsive, according to a criminal complaint filed by Upper Providence Detective Sergeant Patrick Haines and county Detective Michael Laverty.
Martin was transported to Phoenixville Hospital where she died three days later.
An autopsy by the Chester County Coroner’s Office determined that Martin died of complications of fentanyl and xylazine intoxication, according to court papers. Xylazine is a nonopioid tranquilizer used by veterinarians to sedate horses, cattle and other large animals.
At the scene of the overdose, police found nine blue wax bags stamped “ADIDAS” that contained a purple substance suspected of being heroin/fentanyl as well as a hypodermic needle and other evidence of drug use, according to the arrest affidavit. Relatives of Martin told investigators that Martin suffered from a substance use disorder and used heroin/fentanyl.
When investigators analyzed the contents of Martin’s cellphone they discovered drug-related text message communications with Heffren, a suspected fentanyl dealer in Pottstown, according to court documents. Those conversations indicated Martin arranged to purchase $80 of “ADIDAS” from Heffren on May 16 at the America’s Best Value Inn motel in Pottstown.
Borough police reviewed video surveillance footage from the motel and observed Martin arrive and depart from a room there between 10:16 a.m. and 10:25 a.m., according to the arrest affidavit.
The investigation found that Heffren obtained the purple-dyed heroin/fentanyl stamped “ADIDAS” from his alleged suppliers, Lavelle and Roman, both of whom were the registered occupants of the room at America’s Best Value Inn, according to court documents. Armed with a search warrant, detectives went to the motel room on May 20 and Lavelle, Heffren and Roman were all present there, court documents indicate. During the search, investigators seized 424 bags of suspected fentanyl stamped “ADIDAS,” a drug mixture that was purple in color, according to court papers.
“The unique purple coloring significantly adds to your affiants’ opinion that the drugs found at the scene of Martin’s death were sourced by Roman and Lavelle via Heffren,” detectives alleged in the arrest affidavit. Laboratory testing on the “ADIDAS” bags located at the scene of Martin’s overdose found that they contained fentanyl, fentanyl derivatives and xylazine. Chemical testing on the 424 “ADIDAS” baggies seized in the hotel room found that they contained a similar drug mixture as the bags found at the overdose scene, detectives alleged.
During an interview by detectives, Heffren stated he remembered selling bags of fentanyl stamped “ADIDAS” to Martin just prior to her death and that the bags had been given to him by Roman and Lavelle, according to the criminal complaint.
At the time of the arrests in September 2022, District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said that with the arrests, a significant supply of illegal drugs in the county had been stopped.
“These defendants sold a very potent and deadly mix of fentanyl and xylazine to Ms. Martin, causing her death. Drug users should know that xylazine is even more potent than fentanyl,” Steele said at the time. “Law enforcement is continuing to hold drug dealers accountable for selling the deadly drugs that kill our residents.”