A Crystal Lake man has been sentenced to six years in prison for selling fentanyl-laced heroin to a woman shortly before she died of a drug overdose in Woodstock.
Lorachioe S. Sockwell, 53, of the 0-100 block of East Crystal Lake Avenue in Crystal Lake, was charged with six counts of drug-induced homicide, unlawful possession of heroin with intent to deliver and two counts of unlawful possession of fentanyl with intent to deliver.
The Woodstock Police Department began investigating the death of Julia Saban, 40, of Woodstock, on November 4, 2020.
Officers found Saban dead inside her residence and located hypodermic syringes next to the woman, according to a motion filed by McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Ken Hudson.
An investigation revealed that Sockwell purchased hundreds of dollars of illegal narcotics in Chicago and sold portions of the drugs to Saban, Hudson said.
Toxicology reports showed that Saban had 70 ng/ml of fentanyl in her blood at the time of her death. The therapeutic range for fentanyl consumption is 1-3 ng/ml.
A criminal complaint alleged that Sockwell delivered fentanyl-laced heroin to Saban and she injected a portion of it into her body, causing her death.
Sockwell was arrested on January 11, 2021.
Sockwell recently entered into a negotiated plea deal with the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.
He pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of fentanyl with intent to deliver, a Class 1 felony, in exchange for the rest of his charges being dismissed.
McHenry County Judge Michael Coppedge approved the plea deal and sentenced Sockwell to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
“We have come so far over the past six years by reducing drug overdose deaths by half, and drug-induced homicide prosecutions are a big reason why,” McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally said.
“Very often the decedent, who has already paid the ultimate price, was lied to by drug-dealers, who cut their product with fentanyl to increase supply without adding cost, about what he was purchasing,” Kenneally said.
“Nobody ‘deserves’ to die because of drug use, and the dealers who exploit the vulnerabilities of our residents for profit will be held strictly accountable,” he added.