A Monmouth County Grand Jury has handed up a four-count indictment charging a Trenton man with allegedly selling heroin that led to the overdose death of a Howell resident in May 2017, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.
Gramiccioni said John R. Varra, 50, of Trenton, is charged with first degree strict liability for drug-induced deaths and third degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance in connection with the sale of heroin on May 1, 2017 that led to the overdose death of a 31-year-old Howell man two days later.
Varra is also charged with third degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance and third degree of possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute as a result of being found in possession of heroin on the evening of May 3, 2017, according to the prosecutor.
Varra was arrested by officers from the Howell Police Department’s Crime Suppression Unit and Investigative Division.
On May 3, 2017 at 12:25 a.m., Howell police received a 911 call from a resident reporting that her 31-year-old husband was unresponsive. Patrol units were dispatched and subsequently found the victim in his bedroom.
Police and medical personnel tried to revive the victim, but lifesaving efforts, including the administration of naloxone, were unsuccessful. The victim was pronounced dead at 1:07 a.m., according to the prosecutor.
Detectives from the Howell Police Department arrived shortly thereafter and began to investigate the incident, seeking to determine who had distributed the heroin to the victim.
After learning Varra may have been responsible, detectives continued to investigate the incident and police located Varra in Howell. Varra was arrested later on May 3, 2017. A quantity of heroin was lawfully seized from his vehicle, according to the prosecutor.
A postmortem examination conducted by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office indicated the cause of the Howell resident’s death was acute heroin toxicity.
Gramiccioni praised the dedication of the officers assigned to Howell’s Crime Suppression Unit and Investigations Division, under the direction of Police Chief Andrew Kudrick.
“We all realize the opioid epidemic is a monumental challenge within our communities; many thanks to the Howell Police Department for vigorously investigating this overdose death, leading to the identification of the dealer and an indictment in connection with this tragic death,” he said.
If convicted of first degree strict liability for drug-induced death, Varra faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in state prison without parole and a maximum sentence of 20 years. The crimes of third degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance, third degree possession with intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance and third degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance each carry a sentence of five to 10 years imprisonment.