Julianna Bower died at her home on March 18. She was found with the needle that delivered a deadly mix of heroin and fentanyl.
“I never want to see another 19-year old child with a needle hanging out of her arm,” says Tom Kearney, the York County District Attorney.
The D.A., along with police and the York County Coroner, held a press conference at the Newberry Township Police Department to announce the arrest of the accused dealer in the case.
Police arrested Denzel Outen on Wednesday. They say they have evidence he sold Bower the killer heroin. He’s facing charges in both Dauphin and York Counties. That includes a charge of Drug Delivery Resulting in Death. The D.A. says it’s equivalent to a third-degree murder charge. If Outen is found guilty, he faces a minimum of 20 years in prison.
“As far as I’m concerned, he can spend the rest of his days in prison,” says Kearney.
Police say the amount of heroin they’re seeing in the area is unprecedented. And this year is the first time they’ve seen the killer heroin mix that struck other regions. There’s no way for a user to know what they’re injecting.
The York County Coroner says there have been 20 heroin or suspected heroin deaths in the county since January. In all of last year, there were 17 heroin deaths. The coroner will ramp up autopsies in drug deaths and police will pursue suspected drug dealers as much as possible.
“If you sell drugs to people here in York county, we are coming after you,” says Chief John Snyder of the Newberry Twp. Police Department. “If someone dies as a result of you selling them drugs, then plan on spending the rest of your miserable lives in jail. We will bring this fight to you no matter where you run or where you hide. We will find you.”