SOMERS POINT — A Somers Point man has pleaded guilty to selling fentanyl that led to a man's fatal overdose in the city on Dec. 25, 2023, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.

Dwayne Legette, 51, pleaded guilty Nov. 2 to first-degree strict liability drug-induced death and third-degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, prosecutors said.

Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend an eight-year state prison sentence on the drug-induced death charge. Legette would have to serve 85% of that term before becoming eligible for parole. Prosecutors will also recommend a five-year term on the distribution charge, to run at the same time. After his release, he would be supervised on parole for five years.

According to the prosecutor's office, Somers Point police were called on Dec. 25, 2023, about a man who was unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police found a small amount of a substance there that was later confirmed to be fentanyl, and the medical examiner determined the man died of fentanyl intoxication.

Prosecutors said evidence showed Legette sold the fentanyl to someone who then gave it to the man, who took it and overdosed.

Under New Jersey law, anyone who distributes a controlled dangerous substance is strictly liable for a death that results from its use. The charge carries up to 20 years in prison.

This brief was drafted by AI from a public agency’s press release and published by The New Jersey Tide. Why we use AI for stories like this one.