Young woman dies of heroin overdose, her supplier now facing life in prison and $1M fine

After a three-day trial, a Chicago man who supplied heroin to an Iowan woman who ended up dying from an overdose was convicted by a Cedar Rapids’ jury in federal court on April 29.  Eric DeAngelo Griggs, 40, was convicted of one count of distribution of heroin that resulted in the death of the young woman on August 31, 2018, one count of using Facebook Messenger to facilitate the heroin distribution, and one count of using a cell phone to facilitate another heroin distribution on September 1, 2018. 

The guilty verdicts were returned on Thursday after about nine hours of jury deliberations.

Interestingly, Griggs was found not guilty of possession with intent to distribute heroin for heroin seized from a vehicle in which he was traveling on September 1, 2018. 

The evidence at trial showed that Griggs was a source who supplied heroin for some users and other distributors in the Waterloo, Iowa, area during the summer of 2018.  On August 31, 2018, Griggs arranged to distribute $100 worth of heroin to a young Cedar Falls woman via Facebook messenger.  She subsequently returned to a residence in Cedar Falls, used the heroin, and then died of acute heroin intoxication. 

Within a few hours after her body was found, officers were able to text Griggs using her phone to set up another heroin transaction. Griggs came to the location agreed upon with the undercover officer and was identified as the same person who had communicated with the young woman the day before.   

Griggs remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Griggs faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

(Eric DeAngelo Griggs, Booking Photo, Image credit: Linn County Jail)
(Source:  U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Iowa)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today   /   Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter