By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Atlantic County announced that on Friday, May 3, Tyrell Gist of Atlantic City was sentenced on two charges of first-degree strict liability drug-induced death of two tourists visiting Atlantic City from the United Kingdom.
Officials stated that, in accordance with his plea agreement, Gist was sentenced to an aggregate term of 13 years in New Jersey State Prison, subject to the No Early Release Act.
He will be required to serve 85% of his sentence before being eligible for parole, and he will be supervised for a period of five years upon his release from prison, officials said.
According to officials, on March 8, 2020, Bally’s employees located two unresponsive males, Scott Jordan, 42, and Simon Gamble, 39, inside their hotel room & notified police.
Both men were pronounced dead on the scene, officials say.
Authorities say that inside the hotel room, police located approximately ten ripped white wax baggies and a line of white powdery substance on a table.
Officials said the New Jersey State Police lab concluded the wax baggies contained heroin, fentanyl, & 4-ANNP.
The medical examiner determined that the decedents’ deaths were caused by acute toxic effects of fentanyl and ethanol, officials stated.
Officials say the investigation determined that the victims were citizens of the United Kingdom working in New York City who spent the night in Atlantic City and planned to return to New York on March 8, 2020.
Authorities say Bally’s surveillance helped police identify Gist as the individual who sold the drugs to the victims.
The Gangs, Guns, and Narcotics Unit of the Atlantic Country Prosecutor’s Office investigated and prosecuted this case with assistance from the Atlantic City Police Department, according to officials.
Officials stated Gist also pled guilty to third-degree possession with the intent to distribute cocaine resulting from an Atlantic City Police Department investigation on August 15, 2020, in which Gist was observed multiple times conducting what police recognized as hand-to-hand drug transactions on the 1700 block of Martin Luther King Boulevard.
Gist was searched incident to arrest with approximately 12 grams of cocaine on his person along with a large amount of U.S. currency, officials said.
Authorities say he was sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison to run concurrent to his other matters.
Additionally, officials say, Gist pled guilty to third-degree distribution of methamphetamine and third-degree eluding resulting from a motor vehicle stop that occurred on August 2, 2020.
Atlantic City Police Department officers observed a Hyundai Tucson sport utility vehicle speeding and failing to stop at a stop sign, officials said.
According to officials, officers activated the lights and sirens to initiate the stop, in which the vehicle failed to do so, but eventually came to a stop.
The driver, Gist, officials said, was subsequently arrested and found to have methamphetamine and a large amount of U.S. currency on his person.
Officials stated he was sentenced to five years in New Jersey State Prison to run concurrent to his other matters.