A woman is facing a murder charge after allegedly selling drugs laced with fentanyl to a man who died of an overdose, Gwinnett County police said.
On May 24, officers were called to a home on Clear View Drive just outside Snellville. There, they found Jaspen Screws unresponsive and rushed him to a hospital, officials said. He died a short time later.
“My heart is shattered,” his mother wrote in a public Facebook post. “This pain is something I’ve never experienced before. I don’t have the words for anyone else right now. This time I can’t make it better for anyone else because I’m ... devastated. Your dad is broken and your siblings will never be the same. I don’t want my son on a T-shirt. I want my son to come home and I want someone to stop the pain in my chest.”
His funeral was held June 1 in Columbus, according to his obituary.
“Rest in heaven, Jaspen, you made the sky pretty today,” his mother wrote alongside a photo of a beautiful golden sky as sunrays pierced through thick clouds.
As police continued their investigation, they determined Screws died of a fentanyl overdose and that Cara Edelkind had sold him the drugs, authorities said.
Edelkind was arrested and booked into the Gwinnett jail Wednesday. She faces one charge of murder and aggravated involuntary manslaughter, as well as the sale of a controlled substance.
The manslaughter charge was applied under Austin’s Law, which was signed by Gov. Brian Kemp this year. It states that a person commits the offense when they illegally manufacture or sell a controlled substance, that substance contains fentanyl and then the person to whom they sold it dies as a result of the fentanyl.
Police did not disclose what substance Screws thought he was buying or if he was aware that it contained fentanyl.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Gwinnett detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.
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