New Jersey Drug-Induced Death Charge Lawyer

Drug-Induced Death Charge Defense Attorney in Totowa, NJ, Addressing Serious Allegations and Penalties

A drug-induced death charge in New Jersey is one of the most serious accusations you can face.

Someone you knew died from an overdose, and now prosecutors are coming after you for murder-level charges. Our New Jersey drug-induced death charge lawyer knows what you're facing and how to fight back.

These cases are built on tragedy, and prosecutors use that emotion to push for the harshest sentences possible. We examine every detail. The toxicology reports, the chain of custody, and whether other substances contributed to the overdose.

You deserve a lawyer who fights for you when everything feels hopeless. Contact us today for a free consultation, and let's start protecting your future.

Understanding Drug-Induced Death Charges in New Jersey

Drug-induced death is a first-degree crime in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. §2C:35-9. This is the highest level of drug offense in the state, carrying the same weight as the most serious violent crimes.

Here's what makes these charges so devastating: it's a strict liability offense.

The prosecution doesn't need to prove you intended to kill anyone. They don't need to prove you knew the drugs were dangerous. They don't even need to prove you wanted to harm the person.

All they need to prove is that you distributed, dispensed, or supplied drugs to someone, and those drugs caused their death.

The only things that matter are: Did you provide drugs? Did that person die? Can the state connect the two?

This means you can face first-degree murder-level charges for actions you never thought would hurt anyone. Maybe you shared drugs with a friend. Maybe you sold someone pills you'd been selling safely for months. Maybe you gave someone a small amount, thinking they could handle it. None of that matters if they overdose and die.

Common situations lead to drug-induced death arrests:

• Sharing drugs with friends or intimate partners: This is tragically common. Two people are using it together. One person shares their drugs with the other. That person overdoses and dies. The survivor gets arrested for drug-induced death even though they were just sharing, not selling, and never imagined their friend would die. The law treats sharing the same as selling.
• Selling drugs that turn out to be more potent than expected: A dealer sells what they think is heroin or cocaine. But it's been cut with fentanyl without their knowledge. The buyer uses their normal amount, not knowing it's far stronger than usual. They overdose and die. The dealer gets charged with drug-induced death even though they didn't know about the fentanyl and didn't intend to harm anyone.

These situations happen constantly in New Jersey. The opioid crisis has made prosecutors aggressive about filing drug-induced death charges. As a former prosecutor himself with a 100% conviction rate, Krenar Camili knows exactly how to fight these charges. Don't wait any longer to get the right help from the experienced New Jersey drug charge attorneys at Camili and Capo, PA.

Consequences of a Drug-Induced Death Conviction in New Jersey

A drug-induced death conviction carries catastrophic penalties. As a first-degree crime, you face 10 to 20 years in state prison. But it gets worse.

The No Early Release Act applies to drug-induced death convictions. This means you must serve at least 85% of your sentence before becoming eligible for parole. A 15-year sentence means serving at least 12 years and nine months behind bars with no possibility of early release.

Judges often impose sentences near the maximum for drug-induced death cases. The death of another person—even unintentionally—creates enormous pressure for harsh punishment. Families want justice. Prosecutors want to look tough on the opioid crisis. Judges face public scrutiny. You become the target everyone wants to punish.

Fines can reach $200,000 on top of the prison sentence. You'll also face mandatory drug treatment, counseling, and probation conditions upon release.

Drug-induced death charges carry the harshest penalties in New Jersey.

Discuss your case with our New Jersey drug-induced death charge lawyer. We can examine your case and work to get your charges reduced or dismissed.

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How Our New Jersey Drug-Induced Death Charge Lawyer Can Defend You

Every drug-induced death case is different. The defenses that work depend on specific facts:

• What drugs were involved?
• How did the death occur?
• What evidence connects you to the drugs?
• Whether the state can actually prove causation?

Our drug-induced death charge defense attorney in Totowa, NJ, can't promise outcomes before reviewing your case. But we can show you where we look for weaknesses that can get charges reduced or dismissed entirely.

Challenging the Proof of "Causation" Between the Drugs and the Death

The prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the drugs you provided caused the person's death. This is often much harder than it sounds.

Overdose deaths are complicated. Most people who die from drug overdoses have multiple substances in their system. The medical examiner might find heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, alcohol, prescription medications, and other drugs in the toxicology report.

Which drug actually caused the death? Can the state prove it was specifically the drug you provided?

Drug users typically obtain drugs from multiple sources. The person who died might have bought heroin from somewhere, fentanyl from someone else this morning, and taken prescription pills from a friend this afternoon. They might have been using it for days before the fatal dose.

Which source caused the death?

We challenge the state's causation evidence aggressively. We review the autopsy report and toxicology results. We examine whether other drugs or medical conditions contributed to the death. We look for evidence the person obtained drugs from other sources.

If the person had pre-existing medical conditions—heart problems, respiratory issues, liver or kidney disease—we explore whether those conditions contributed to the death more than the drugs themselves.

Creating reasonable doubt about causation can get drug-induced death charges dismissed or reduced to lesser offenses like distribution.

Attacking the State's Evidence of Distribution or Supply

The prosecution must prove you actually distributed, dispensed, or supplied drugs to the person who died. Mere possession isn't enough. Simply being present when someone overdoses isn't enough. The state needs evidence you actually provided the drugs.

We can challenge their evidence of distribution aggressively. Text messages discussing drugs aren't conclusive. They need to prove those messages refer to this specific transaction.

We examine whether you were even present when the person obtained the drugs that killed them. If you weren't there, how can the state prove you provided those specific drugs?

We look at possession. Maybe you had drugs on you, but that doesn't prove you gave any to the deceased. Maybe you and the deceased were both using, but they brought their own drugs.

Attacking distribution evidence creates reasonable doubt. If the prosecution can't prove you actually supplied the fatal drugs, they can't convict you of drug-induced death.

Drug-induced death charges require immediate investigation and expert analysis of medical evidence. Discuss your case with our New Jersey drug-induced death charge lawyer.

Why Choose Camili & Capo, PA, to Defend Your Drug-Induced Death Case?

Krenar Camili came from a family with no legal background. No lawyers. No judges. No connections to help navigate law school or the legal profession. He built his career from nothing, learning everything the hard way.

He started by clerking for judges, watching how cases were won and lost from the inside. Then he spent over seven years as an Assistant Prosecutor, handling controlled dangerous substance cases, including drug-induced death prosecutions.

As a prosecutor, Krenar learned exactly how the state builds these cases. He knows what evidence they rely on most. He knows how they use medical examiners and toxicology reports. He knows their strategies for proving causation and distribution. He became one of the most successful drug prosecutors in his county.

But prosecuting drug-induced death cases troubled him. He watched people get charged with first-degree crimes for sharing drugs with friends who died. Intent didn't matter. Knowledge didn't matter. Someone died, and someone had to pay.

The strict liability nature of the law meant good people—people who never intended to hurt anyone—faced the same penalties as intentional killers. That didn't sit right with Krenar.

He realized he could make a bigger difference defending people than prosecuting them.

What makes Camili & Capo uniquely effective in drug-induced death cases is Krenar's prosecutor background. He doesn't guess about how prosecutors will prove causation. He knows because he used those same strategies. He knows what medical evidence they need, what witness testimony they rely on, and where their cases crack under pressure.

Discuss your case with us today.

Contact Our New Jersey Drug-Induced Death Charge Lawyer at Camili & Capo, PA, Today for a Free Case Evaluation

We know the fear you're feeling right now. Someone you knew is dead. Prosecutors are treating you like a murderer. The thought of spending the next 15 years in prison is suffocating. You never intended to hurt anyone, but the law doesn't care about your intent.

You're someone facing the worst charges possible for actions you never thought would end in tragedy.

Drug-induced death cases move fast. Prosecutors file charges quickly while families are grieving and emotions run high. The earlier we get involved, the more we can do to investigate the evidence, interview witnesses, and build your defense before the state's narrative becomes set in stone.

Don't wait. Don't try to explain yourself to police without a lawyer. Don't assume you're doomed because someone died. Let's talk honestly about what happened, what evidence exists, and how we can fight to protect your future.

For help from a drug-induced death charge lawyer in New Jersey, contact the Camili & Capo, PA, firm online or call today.