Lancaster woman guilty of selling fatal drug mix. Now she’s headed to prison
A Lancaster woman who gave a lethal drug dose to a person who died has been sentenced to five years in prison, court records show.
Valerie Lynn Dunn, 47, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Lancaster County court to involuntary manslaughter, said Randy Newman, 6th Circuit Solicitor.
Dunn originally had been charged with distribution of heroin in the incident, according to police and court documents. But the charge of manslaughter was added after it was determined that the heroin contained fentanyl, Newman said.
“Tragically, the person who received the drugs from Ms. Dunn died as a result of taking the heroin, which also contained fentanyl,” Newman said.
Pharmaceutical fentanyl is a synthetic opioid pain reliever that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control website.
Under South Carolina law, involuntary manslaughter is defined as a death of criminal negligence with reckless disregard of the safety of others. The maximum penalty for a conviction is five years under state law.
A bill proposed in the S.C. General Assembly that remains pending would increase the potential prison sentence to 15 years for involuntary manslaughter involving drugs.
