Friend Gets Nine Years In Fatal Wheaton Heroin Overdose

Caption: Jennifer Nere, 34, of Summit, received a nine-year prison sentence for supplying a fatal heroin overdose to a Wheaton friend.

A woman was sentenced to nine years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for supplying a fatal heroin dose to a friend in Wheaton.

Jennifer Nere, 34, of Summit, was convicted of one count of a drug induced homicide after a four-day jury trial in August.

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In the late night hours of June 27 through the early morning hours of June 28, 2012, Nere went to her friend, 31-year-old Augustina Taylor’s house and, at Taylor’s request, delivered heroin Taylor, according to court records.

Nere then left her friend’s house. Taylor went into the bathroom to ingest the heroin. Taylor’s son found his deceased mother on the bathroom floor a short time later, prosecutors said

A death investigation led authorities to Nere. The Summit woman has been in custody at the DuPage County Jail after bail was set at $300,000 with 10-percent to apply.

Prior to her appearance in DuPage County bond court, Nere had been held in the Cook County jail on unrelated charges, the state’s attorney’s office said.

While some progress has been made in educating the public about the dangers of heroin use, an alarming rate of heroin overdose deaths continues, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a written statement.

“The circumstances of this case are particularly disheartening considering that the defendant and the victim were friends,” Berlin continued. “The circumstances however, don’t negate the fact that Jennifer Nere supplied Augustina Taylor with a fatal dose of heroin and for that she will now spend the next nine years of her life behind bars.”

Nere will be required to serve 75 percent of her sentence before being eligible for parole. She will also receive credit for 419 days already spent in custody, Berlin said.