MUNCIE, Ind. – A judge sentenced a woman to 40 years in prison for her role in providing fentanyl to a pregnant woman who later died from an overdose.
In January, jurors deliberated for a little under two hours before finding 34-year-old Jessica Campbell guilty of dealing a controlled substance resulting in death.
Investigators said Campbell sold fentanyl to 27-year-old Ashley Rudisill in July 2018. Rudisill, who was eight months pregnant at the time, suffered a fatal overdose that also resulted in the death of her unborn child.
According to prosecutors, Rudisill asked Campbell for heroin but received fentanyl instead. Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said it was the first time in Delaware County history that someone had been held criminally liable for killing someone by selling them drugs.
Prosecutors had requested the maximum sentence for Campbell, calling her a “cold-blooded” drug dealer who had no concern for others.
Delaware County Circuit Judge Kimberly S. Dowling agreed with that assessment and sentenced Campbell to 40 years, saying the “crime calls out for the maximum sentence.”
In 2018, Indiana lawmakers made dealing drugs resulting in death a crime punishable by up to 40 years in prison. Though the relatively new law is rarely used, Delaware County has been the most aggressive county in utilizing it, according to data through January 2022.
