EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An Indiana man has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for distribution resulting in the death of a Kentucky woman.
In September 2023, a federal jury found 31-year-old Johntavis Matlock guilty of distribution of heroin and fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), officers responded to the overdose of 28-year-old Lindsey Wiley in her Kentucky home on Dec. 11, 2020. Despite knowing about this near-death overdose, Matlock still invited Wiley over to his home in Evansville to purchase heroin laced with fentanyl.
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On Feb 28, 2021, the DOJ said authorities responded to another overdose at Wiley's home. However, this time they found her dead. Her cause of death was overdose caused by fentanyl.
After searching Wiley's phone, investigators discovered that she bought drugs from Matlock often. Matlock sold heroin and fentanyl to Wiley from June 2020-February 2021.
The news release states that children were living at Matlock's home while he was selling Wiley drugs.
“The tragic death of Ms. Wiley highlights the tremendous danger posed by trafficking of fentanyl and other opioids,” Zachary Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, said. “Substance use disorder is a devastating disease that international drug cartels and local dealers greedily exploit.”
Matlock was ordered by a judge to be supervised for three years following his release from prison.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal -- depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage.
The DEA said one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. Seven out of 10 illegal fentanyl tablets seized by the DEA now contain a potentially lethal dose of the drug.
The DEA, Indiana State Police (ISP), Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, Evansville Police Department, Henderson County (Kentucky) Sheriff’s Office, and the Pennyrile (Kentucky) Narcotics Task Force investigated this case.
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