Man pleads guilty in Burlco overdose death
Hicks sold heroin to a 26-year-old man, who was found dead in his apartment on Nov. 29, 2015
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A 37-year-old Sicklerville man has admitted responsibility for the 2015 overdose death of a man who bought heroin laced with fentanyl from him, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced Tuesday.
Leonard Hicks pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree strict liability for drug-induced death in exchange for a 10-year sentence in New Jersey state prison. Officials said he must serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Hicks sold heroin to a 26-year-old man, who was found dead in his apartment on Nov. 29, 2015, by Evesham Township police officers performing a wellness check at the request of a friend.
Coffina did not identify the overdose victim. Investigators found that Hicks delivered heroin to the man's apartment and was paid $200.
Burlington County Medical Examiner Ian Hood said that heroin and fentanyl caused the man's death.
Hicks, who was free on $200,000 bail, was scheduled to be sentenced on July 20 before Superior Court Judge Terrence R. Cook.