Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Jaquan Casserly, 34, of Holbrook, pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, for selling fentanyl to Chelsey Murray, 31, of Lake Grove, that resulted in her fatal overdose in 2022.
“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. Not only do these greedy dealers supply deadly drugs to vulnerable individuals, but they also can literally kill them with just a tiny amount,” said District Attorney Tierney. “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.”
Chelsey’s parents, Gene and Sue Murray recently joined District Attorney 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. Click here to view the press release from the January 2024 Albany rally.
According to court documents and the defendant’s admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on August 18, 2022, Chelsey was found unresponsive in the bathroom by her mother, and police responded to the Murray’s 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 Holbrook 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 Attempted Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree in 2018, and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree in 2011.
On April 5, 2024, Casserly pleaded guilty to Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a Class B felony, before Acting Supreme Court Justice 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. He is being represented by Christopher Brocato, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Danielle Davis of the Narcotics Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Michael DeMauro of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Narcotics Section.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.