Burlington County officials announced that a Delran drug dealer has been charged with causing the death of a Riverside customer who fatally overdosed on fentanyl in late 2018.
David Bender, 27, was charged with Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death (First Degree) and Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Third Degree).
Officials report, he was taken into custody on August 20 by Delran Township patrol officers and lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly pending a detention hearing in Superior Court.
According to county officials, the investigation began in October 2018 after Riverside Township police officers were dispatched to an apartment to conduct a wellness check on a man who was locked in a bedroom and unresponsive.
Upon arrival, officers found the body of Kenneth Rocco, 38, who was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy performed by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined that Rocco’s death was due to fentanyl toxicity.
The investigation revealed the drugs that led to Rocco’s fatal overdose had been purchased from Bender.