By: Tracie Carter
A 51-year-old Somers Point man has pleaded guilty in connection with a deadly fentanyl overdose that occurred on Christmas Day in 2023.
Dwayne Legette entered his guilty plea on Monday, November 2, 2026, to first-degree strict liability drug-induced death and third-degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance.
According to authorities, Somers Point police responded to a report of an unresponsive man on December 25, 2023.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators recovered a small amount of suspected drugs, which later tested positive for fentanyl. The Medical Examiner's Office determined that the victim died from fentanyl intoxication.
Authorities said evidence established that Legette sold the fentanyl to another individual, who subsequently provided it to the victim.
The victim ingested the substance and suffered a deadly overdose.
Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend an eight-year state prison sentence, with Legette required to serve 85% of that term before becoming eligible for parole.
He also faces a concurrent five-year sentence for the drug distribution charge, followed by five years of parole supervision upon his release.
Under New Jersey law, individuals who distribute controlled dangerous substances can be held criminally responsible when those drugs result in someone's death, even if the substances pass through another person.
The offense carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.