Bensalem Man, Matthew Lavender, Charged With Involuntary Manslaughter In Connection To Woman's Overdose Death
BUCKS COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) -- A 25-year-old Bensalem man has been arrested and charged in connection to supplying fentanyl that led to a woman's overdose death in July. Matthew Lavender was charged with drug delivery resulting in death, involuntary manslaughter, and other charges, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office announced on Friday.
Lavender was arranged and sent to the Bucks County County Correctional Facility and bail was set at $1 million.
Lavender's arrest follows an investigation by Bucks County officials that began with the overdose death of 25-year-old Nikki Lee Silva in July.
Investigators determined that Lavender was the person who supplied the drugs to Silva after an interview in August.
During that interview, Lavender admitted that he took Silva to Kensington where he bought six bags of fentanyl from a street dealer, according to the release.
"They're all fentanyl," Lavender said during the interview with Bucks County officials. "There is no heroin no more."
After buying the drugs and giving them to Silva, an autopsy determined she died of accidental acute fentanyl intoxication and a toxicology report found she had fentanyl and norfentanyl in her system, according to a release.
When police responded to a report of a female in cardiac arrest in July, they also say they found three used and two unused baggies containing heroin or fentanyl on the scene.
"This case emphasizes our commitment to hold all drug dealers criminally accountable," District Attorney Matt Weintraub said. "Our message to all the drug dealers out there: If someone dies from the drugs you dealt them, we will investigate you, arrest you, convict you, and sentence you, whenever possible."
