Sabrena LaquatraThe Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office has charged a 37-year-old woman, Sabrena Laquatra, with second-degree murder in connection with the June 2017 overdose death of Tyler Hillian.
A medical examiner’s report indicated Hillian died from a lethal amount of fentanyl in his system, according to a news release. Evidence collected during the course of the investigation indicated Laquatra was the person who provided him with the drugs on which he overdosed, according to authorities.
Agents with the sheriff’s office presented their findings to a Hamilton County grand jury on Feb. 27, marking this as the first such fentanyl-related overdose death case to be brought before the grand jury.
“This indictment sends a strong message to drug dealers that they are going to be held accountable for their actions,” the release stated.
A similar situation led to the death of Logan Whiteaker, 24, and the arrest of Darius Blakemore, 27, who provided Whiteaker with the deadly heroin mixture on which he overdosed. Whiteaker was dead within 18 hours of graduating from the Hamilton County Drug Court in February 2016.
Prosecutors said Blakemore sold $200 worth of heroin to a woman and had one of his runners deliver it to her in a McDonald’s parking lot on Rossville Boulevard on Feb. 22, 2016. The woman then passed the heroin to her passenger, Whiteaker. Red Bank police found him dead in his bathroom the next morning.
The Times Free Press previously reported that Blakemore was arrested the following month with a gun, some cocaine and heroin during a traffic stop on Shallowford Road. He was indicted on nine counts, primarily for knowingly possessing heroin and cocaine with intent to sell, conspiring to distribute drugs throughout early 2016, and then selling a batch that resulted in Whiteaker’s death.
He went to trial on those charges and agreed to a 23-year deal, but soon after said he no longer wanted to plead guilty and got a new attorney. That case is still being litigated.
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731. Follow him on Twitter @emmettgienapp.