Long Island Drug Dealer Pleads Guilty To Selling Fentanyl That Killed Woman: DA

RIVERSIDE, NY — A Holbrook man admitted to selling a lethal dose of fentanyl to a woman who died of an overdose in 2022, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said Monday.

Jaquan Casserly, 34, pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled
substance for selling fentanyl to Chelsey Murray, 31, of Lake Grove, according to prosecutors.

On Aug. 18, 2022, Chelsey was found unresponsive in the bathroom by her mother, and police responded, administering Narcan, which works to reverse the effects of fentanyl, the DA said. She regained a pulse before being taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she ultimately passed away several days later as a result of a drug overdose, prosecutors said.

After Chelsey’s hospitalization, an undercover detective from Suffolk police contacted Casserly and arranged for a sale of narcotics, prosecutors said, adding that Casserly then sold the
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 she overdosed.

On Aug. 27, 2022, police executed a search warrant at Casserly’s Holbrook home 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, prosecutors said.

The red envelopes were similar in appearance to the ones sold to the undercover detective, according to prosecutors.

A search of Casserly’s phone showed that he arranged to meet Chelsey on Aug. 17, 2022, offering to sell her “fetty mix,” a street term used to describe a mix of fentanyl and heroin, prosecutors said.

Chelsey’s parents, Gene and Sue Murray recently joined Tierney in Albany to call for 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.

“We are resolute in our commitment to ensure that the suppliers of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," Tierney said. "Not only do these greedy dealers supply deadly drugs to vulnerable individuals, but they also can literally kill them with just a tiny amount."

"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," he added.

Before his 2022 case, Casserly was convicted of third-degree attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance in 2018, and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance in 2011, the DA said.

He is due back in court for sentencing on May 8, and is expected to be sentenced to 10 years in
prison followed by three years of post-release supervision.

His attorney, Christopher Brocato of Central Islip, said his client has expressed his remorse for the death of Chelsey Murray.

"He understands and is remorseful for his role in her death," he wrote in an email. "He took this plea so Ms. Murray’s family wouldn’t have to relive this tragedy during a trial."