A resident of Trenton has been charged with selling drugs that led to the death
of a Howell resident in March, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on July 25.
Christopher McQueen, 24, of Trenton, is charged with first degree strict
liability for drug-induced deaths, third degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance and third degree unlawful distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, according to the prosecutor.
The charges stem from the sale of a heroin and fentanyl mixture to a 21-year-old Howell man who overdosed on the substance during the early morning hours of March 8, 2017.
The man, Todd Cogar, was found by family members unresponsive that morning. Lifesaving efforts, including the administration of the overdose-reversing drug Narcan, failed to revive the victim. He was pronounced dead at approximately 9:30 a.m., according to the prosecutor.
Responding officers from the Howell Police Department recovered some of
the heroin and fentanyl mixture that caused the overdose, Gramiccioni said.
Officers began an investigation to determine and confirm the source of the deadly substance. With the assistance of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the FBI, Howell officers determined that McQueen had allegedly sold the lethal substance to Cogar during the evening of March 7 at a motel on Route 1 in Lawrence Township.
Gramiccioni praised the efforts of the Howell Police Department and noted the cooperation of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and the FBI.
“The opioid epidemic remains one of the biggest challenges facing our
communities. Often, the drug addict is not even aware he has been sold fentanyl, a substance that is 50 times more potent than heroin. It is imperative that we do everything possible to help those who have fallen prey to the lure of highly addictive opiates such as heroin. I will continue to bring the fight to all who profit from this crisis,” he said.
If convicted of first degree strict liability for drug-induced deaths, McQueen faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in state prison without parole and a maximum
sentence of 20 years imprisonment.
The crimes of third degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance and third degree unlawful distribution of a controlled dangerous substance each carry a sentence of five to 10 years imprisonment, according to the prosecutor.
McQueen was initially placed in the Monmouth County jail, Freehold Township.
