South Jersey Drug Dealer Sentenced In Customer’s Death

PEMBERTON, NJ - A South Jersey woman was sentenced this week to 12 years in state prison for causing the death of a customer that bought fentanyl-laced heroin from her, authorities said.

Shannon McGuigan, 36, was found guilty in March of strict liability for drug-induced death, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled dangerous substance.

She must serve 85 percent of the term before becoming eligible for parole.

On May 30, 2017, McGuigan’s customer, a 25-year-old Pemberton woman, was found dead in her home by her mother. An autopsy subsequently found the cause of death to be due to heroin and fentanyl toxicity. An investigation later revealed that the victim purchased drugs from McGuigan shortly before she fatally overdosed.

In a separate case, McGuigan also pleaded guilty to one count of cocaine possession. She was sentenced to four years on that charge, to run concurrent with the other sentence.

“We appreciate the Court recognizing the seriousness of the defendant’s crime and we hope that a significant sentence like this one will give people pause about selling dangerous drugs to others,” Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said in a statement.

“I commend the victim’s parents for their patience and staunch advocacy on behalf of their daughter throughout this lengthy prosecution. No parent should ever have to bury their child, but this victim’s mother rose above her obvious grief to deliver an incredibly gracious statement to the court, expressing both her extreme pain, and also hope, that the defendant will turn her life around. With this matter now concluded, we hope the victim’s family can finally begin to heal.”