BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – A federal judge has sentenced a 31-year-old man to 20 years in prison for selling fentanyl that resulted in the death of a 20-year-old Pelham woman.
Rodrigus Lee Pearson, of Birmingham, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala for distributing fentanyl that caused the death of Ashlynn Bailey in January 2016 in Jefferson County.
Pearson also pleaded guilty to distributing heroin on February 8, 2016, distributing fentanyl on February 23, 2016, possessing with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine on March 30, 2016, and for being a felon illegally possessing a gun – an H & K .40-caliber pistol – on March 30, 2016.
Pearson’s previous felony conviction was for unlawful possession of a controlled substance in Jefferson County Circuit Court in September 2014. As part of his sentence, the judge ordered him to pay $22,893 in restitution to the family of Ashlynn Bailey to cover her funeral expenses.
Ashlynn Bailey, a former University of Alabama student, died after purchasing fentanyl from Pearson. Police found her in a house on Jefferson Avenue in Birmingham on January 30, 2016, after responding to a call of a suspected drug overdose death.
“In those cases where we can prove a death resulting from an illegal sale of drugs, we will pursue an enhanced sentence as we did in this case,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey. “When the use of an illegally-sold controlled substance results in the overdose death of the consumer, federal law provides for a minimum 20-year sentence for the dealer. The rapid rise of overdose deaths in our communities requires that we use all available means to disrupt and punish those who sell these deadly drugs,” he said.
Ashlynn Bailey, the victim who died from taking the drugs that Pearson sold her, wasn’t given a chance to plead,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Bret Hamilton. “She was sentenced to death when Pearson delivered the fentanyl-laden drugs. If you are a drug dealer, you may soon become a murderer and you will be caught and prosecuted.”
Key Facts
- State: Alabama
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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