University City Man Sentenced for Fatal Fentanyl Overdose

St. Louis, MO – Jonathan Jamar Dickerson, a/k/a “Los,” 29, of University City, Missouri, was sentenced to 240 months in prison for distributing fentanyl to another person, resulting in a fatal overdose. 

According to court documents, on January 28, 2017, 21-year-old “D.M.” was discovered unresponsive in her bedroom in a family residence in Maryland Heights, MO.  She was pronounced deceased.  D.M. had been last seen by her sister the previous evening.  Next to D.M.’s body on the nightstand was a line of white powder which was neatly prepared.  There were empty gelatin capsules located in D.M.’s trash can. The Office of the St. Louis county Medical Examiner determined that D.M. died of fentanyl intoxication.

A search of D.M.’s phone revealed text messages between her and a person named “Los.”  The text exchange occurred between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on January 27, 2017.  In the text message, D.M. asked “Los” whether she could “get 2?,” to which “Los” responded, “Yea.”  D.M. indicated “Okay omw.”  At 4:27 pm, D.M. advised “Los” via text, “Here.”  Five days after D.M. died, Dickerson continued to send text messages to others advertising fentanyl.

During a search of Dickerson’s apartment, police located numerous items consistent with the distribution of heroin and fentanyl.  They also located dozens of gelatin capsules that were identical to the ones located in D.M.’s trash.  Police later discovered video footage of the parking lot of the Overland apartment complex at which Dickerson had been living. The video clearly showed Dickerson and D.M. meeting in the parking lot on the afternoon of D.M.’s death.

Dickerson was arrested on February 3, 2017.  Laboratory tests on the line of white powder revealed it to be a combination of heroin and fentanyl.

Dickerson pled guilty in August to one felony count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, and appeared today for sentencing before United States District Judge Ronnie L. White.  In his comments to the Court, Dickerson claimed that he was the victim of an unfair prosecution.  “Dickerson is not a victim and thanks to the Maryland Heights police department he will spend a mandatory minimum 20 year sentence in federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen. 

This case was investigated by the Maryland Heights Police Department.