Show more\u2026<\/p>\n
Key PointsPennsylvania saw a dramatic increase in charges against people accused of providing drugs that caused a fatal overdose, after a change in state law and the rise of the opioid epidemic.The state became known as one of the top states, if not the leader, for these types of drug-induced homicide prosecutions. But the use of Pennsylvania\u2019s law varies widely between counties.Some state lawmakers are pushing to expand how long after a death these prosecutions can begin, beyond the current two-year limit.The issue divides families that have suffered similar tragedies, with some saying such charges can bring accountability, and others arguing these prosecutions cause more harm than good.<\/p>\n
Her advocacy put Cyndi \u2014 a 62-year-old grandmother, seamstress, and retired licensed social worker \u2014 into the middle of an emotionally charged question over how best to respond to drug overdoses.<\/p>\n
Pennsylvania is known as one of the top states, if not the leader<\/a>, in bringing this type of criminal charge. In 2020, the year Isaiah died, there were about 190 new drug delivery resulting in death charges filed here, state court data show. And even with some recent prosecution declines<\/a>, there\u2019s been a significant increase in people convicted and sentenced on the charge over the past two decades.<\/p>\n Some lawmakers are pushing<\/a> to expand<\/a> how long after a death these prosecutions can begin, beyond the current two-year limit. Others have called<\/a> to restrict when<\/a> the charges apply, seeking to protect people who share drugs but don\u2019t sell them for profit. The state\u2019s highest court heard arguments earlier this year over what limits should exist on these cases.<\/p>\n As those debates occur, Cyndi\u2019s search for justice offers a window into the complicated on-the-ground reality of treating overdoses like a homicide. It highlights how the consequences for a death in Pennsylvania can depend on where it happens and how quickly investigators act.<\/p>\n Some families say these prosecutions do more harm than good, while others push for them.<\/p>\n For Cyndi, it felt like Pennsylvania\u2019s system was letting drug dealers get away with murder.<\/p>\n \u2018Relentless\u2019<\/p>\n After the October 2020 call, Cyndi remembers thinking it was wrong \u2014 that her son couldn\u2019t be dead. \u201cI know I was screaming that,\u201d she told Spotlight PA.<\/p>\n When she got to the apartment, it felt like forever before she could see his body. Finally, she got down on the floor, lay next to him, and tried to listen to his heart.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was nothing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n A grand jury presentment later called Isaiah\u2019s death \u201coverdose-related\u201d and said it involved fentanyl, cocaine, and other substances.<\/p>\n From early on, Cyndi both grieved \u2014 and took action.<\/p>\n She got a permanent reminder of him: a tattoo down her right forearm. It shows Isaiah working high up in a tree, his arms spread wide, just as he had appeared in a photo \u2014 an image where he had compared himself to a bird.<\/p>\n Cyndi also started looking for how the person who provided him the drugs could be held accountable. Isaiah shared responsibility for what happened, she later said, but Cyndi felt he shouldn\u2019t be the only one to pay the price. She came across the charge of drug delivery resulting in death and quickly made her case in public for stricter enforcement of the law.<\/p>\n Less than two months after Isaiah\u2019s death, she wrote a letter to the editor in a local paper, describing the number of overdose deaths in the county and her own research into the drug delivery resulting in death law. She questioned why local officials weren\u2019t using the charge against drug dealers. \u201cPlease help me to understand the hesitation,\u201d Cyndi wrote.<\/p>\n She said she searched for evidence \u2014 Facebook messages, an ATM receipt \u2014 in her son\u2019s case and shared it with investigators. She started a Facebook group<\/a> dedicated to stopping overdoses in Tioga County. She posted signs in the area declaring it was time to hold drug dealers accountable<\/a> and that every overdose death warrants a criminal investigation<\/a>. She eventually urged people to vote out<\/a> the Tioga County district attorney<\/a> at the time, and collected signatures<\/a> for the district attorney\u2019s opponent.<\/p>\n Thad Compton, Cyndi\u2019s husband and Isaiah\u2019s father, described her as \u201crelentless\u201d and told Spotlight PA she talked \u201cto anybody that would listen.\u201d<\/p>\n Shad Alexander, a longtime friend of Isaiah\u2019s and a fellow arborist, said Cyndi kept advocating even \u201cwhen people thought she was crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe wouldn\u2019t stop,\u201d said Alexander, a former heroin user who is in long-term recovery. \u201cHow many other parents do I know that lost their kid? You don\u2019t see them posting on Facebook or talking to representatives. \u2026They grieve, but that\u2019s it. Cyndi did not stop.\u201d<\/p>\n Show more\u2026<\/p>\n Legislative Proposals<\/p>\n Proposals in the Pennsylvania legislature would give authorities more time to begin drug delivery resulting in death prosecutions.<\/p>\n Extend the statute of limitations from two years to five years.<\/p>\n HB 2279<\/a>SB 79<\/a>Each bill was pending in a legislative committee as of June 2026.<\/p>\n Remove the statute of limitations after a fatal overdose.<\/p>\n HB 326<\/a>The legislation would reduce other potential barriers to prosecution, while also aiming to distinguish friends who share drugs from dealers.The bill was pending in the House Judiciary Committee as of June 2026.<\/p>\n An investigation into Isaiah\u2019s death eventually led to a prosecution and conviction \u2014 although by the time those charges were filed, drug delivery resulting in death was off the table. The two-year statute of limitations had expired.<\/p>\n Cyndi\u2019s work led to legislation<\/a> in Harrisburg named after Isaiah. The bill would eliminate the statute of limitations when someone dies from an overdose, treating those cases like crimes<\/a> such as murder and voluntary manslaughter. The bill\u2019s sponsor, state Rep. Clint Owlett (R., Tioga) called Isaiah\u2019s story \u201cheartbreaking to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe worked together to try to draft some legislation,\u201d he told Spotlight PA. \u201cAnd we\u2019ve been working at advocacy on this for a while now, and we\u2019re going to keep at it.\u201d<\/p>\n The legislation would reduce other potential barriers to prosecutions, including when there are multiple drugs involved. But it would also create a defense for people who don\u2019t \u201creceive any service or anything of value in exchange\u201d \u2014 a measure intended to distinguish friends who share drugs from dealers. Multiple versions of the bill<\/a> have been filed in the legislature but never made it out of committee as of early June.<\/p>\n Other families have visited Owlett to share their stories.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll bring pictures of their loved ones and lay \u2019em on my desk,\u201d Owlett said, adding, \u201cCyndi\u2019s not alone in this.\u201d<\/p>\n Michelle Taylor \u2014 who has known Cyndi for decades \u2014 has shared the heartbreak. Taylor went to Isaiah\u2019s 2020 funeral. Her son Scott Reese, who also struggled with addiction, joined her.<\/p>\n Taylor, 54, remembers Cyndi hugging Reese and telling him to stay clean. She wanted him to live.<\/p>\n But three months later, Reese died from an overdose, Taylor said. She remembers finding his body, knowing it was too late, but begging him to wake up.<\/p>\n Cyndi was one of the first people to show up to Taylor\u2019s home to comfort her.<\/p>\n In the years since, Taylor\u2019s been grateful to her friend for her advocacy and her willingness to be a voice for others.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s fighting the fight that a lot of us aren\u2019t,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n \u2018Anger in you\u2019 Courtesy of Susan Ousterman<\/p>\n Tyler Cordeiro died of an overdose involving fentanyl in 2020.<\/p>\n Support for escalating the use of these types of prosecutions isn\u2019t unanimous. Others are trying to stop or scale back the use of these types of laws<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tyler Cordeiro died from an overdose involving fentanyl in 2020<\/a>. He was 24 years old.<\/p>\n His mother, Susan Ousterman, briefly considered pursuing criminal charges, she told Spotlight PA.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have that anger in you. You want someone to pay,\u201d said Ousterman, a national drug policy advocate based in Bucks County. \u201cBut I knew that \u2026 the person that gave him the drugs was no different than him.\u201d<\/p>\n Ousterman has since opposed these types of drug delivery resulting in death prosecutions in Pennsylvania and elsewhere<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last year, Ousterman and others who lost a loved one to a substance-related death wrote to Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, raising a number of concerns about the state\u2019s response to the opioid crisis. They criticized harsher penalties and criminalization.<\/p>\n \u201cProsecuting drug-induced homicide cases does not deter supply\u2014it pushes the drug market further underground, making substances even more unpredictable and deadly,\u201d they said<\/a>. \u201cThese policies do not protect our children; they trap more families in the same suffering we have endured.\u201d<\/p>\n A Shapiro spokesperson last year responded to that letter by telling Spotlight PA the governor \u201chas a long track record of fighting for families who have lost loved ones to the opioid crisis.\u201d In the governor\u2019s memoir, which was released earlier this year<\/a>, Shapiro talked about his approach to prosecutions when he was attorney general.<\/p>\n He said the office charged \u201chigher level dealers with tougher crimes\u201d including trying \u201cto put them away for twenty to forty years\u201d if \u201cthe drugs they sold resulted in someone dying.\u201d But Shapiro also said the office tried to send people to treatment instead of prison if they were \u201cnon-violent dealers who were basically just users trying to feed their addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n Even though drug delivery resulting in death prosecutions are relatively rare compared to the total number of fatal overdoses, they still have a big impact, said Alice Bell of Prevention Point Pittsburgh. She directs the nonprofit\u2019s overdose prevention project, and said the fear of arrest and the possibility of spending years in prison deters people from calling for help.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are aware of it, and there\u2019s a fear of it,\u201d she told Spotlight PA. \u201cThe more often that it\u2019s used, or the more publicity about it, the less likely people would be to call 911 if there was somebody who overdoses.\u201d<\/p>\n Ousterman has had what she described as painful and deeply personal conversations with other parents to help them understand the harm of these policies.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s got to be done with compassion,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Ed Mahon \/ Spotlight PA<\/p>\n Austin and Joshua Legassey died of drug overdoses in 2020 and 2021, respectively.<\/p>\n Critics<\/a> say these prosecutions often target family, friends, or partners who may suffer from addiction themselves instead of large-scale dealers. And these charges can take resources away from effective overdose prevention efforts, they argue.<\/p>\n A 2021 article<\/a> published in the International Journal of Drug Policy described several ways these drug-induced homicide laws may worsen opioid-related harms, including by potentially creating unpredictable fluctuations in the drug supply and a potential \u201cchilling effect on those who could call 911 during an overdose.\u201d<\/p>\n But the researchers also described the issue as \u201cunexplored and untested\u201d and said there was an \u201cimmediate and great\u201d need \u201cfor comprehensive research that can validate or invalidate these hypotheses.\u201d<\/p>\n In more than a dozen interviews with family members of overdose victims, Spotlight PA found a wide range of opinions on whether these types of prosecutions help or hurt.<\/p>\n Some supporters<\/a> say they can bring accountability and reduce deaths.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Beth Nazaryk<\/p>\n Caitlin Nazaryk died of a fentanyl overdose in March 2025.<\/p>\n Cumberland County resident Erika Shambaugh\u2019s views of drug delivery resulting in death have changed over the years. She lost two children \u2014 Austin and Joshua Legassey \u2014 to overdoses in 2020 and 2021, respectively.<\/p>\n At first, Shambaugh wanted someone to face the charge in each case. Now she thinks prosecutors should only use it when the victim is under 18 or when the dealer doesn\u2019t have any substance use issues.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t judge every case in a single category,\u201d she told Spotlight PA.<\/p>\n For some families, the failure to prosecute is a point of frustration \u2014 and a sign that people in power didn\u2019t value their loved one.<\/p>\n At a Berks County forum last year<\/a>, a mother described losing her daughter a month earlier to a fentanyl overdose, reaching out to police, and feeling like \u201cnobody gives a shit.\u201d<\/p>\n Over a year later, Beth Nazaryk still felt frustrated. She was waiting for someone to be arrested and for accountability. She started missing monthly grief support meetings, and wondered what to do next.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like if I found out who sold her those drugs \u2014 and I say this to people all the time \u2014 and \u2026 if you could put me in a dark room with that person, I would come out on top,\u201d Nazaryk said.<\/p>\n She added: \u201cBecause I\u2019m so angry.\u201d<\/p>\n Pennsylvania saw a dramatic increase in these charges, after a change in state law<\/a> and the rise of the opioid epidemic. Fights over these prosecutions have played out in courtrooms and the legislature.<\/p>\n In 2011<\/a>, state lawmakers paved the way for the use of the charge when they effectively removed a requirement for there to be a finding of malice for drug delivery resulting in death cases. Two state representatives cited local deaths involving street-level dealers as they made the case on the House floor.<\/a><\/p>\n The legislation received no dissenting votes in either chamber, before then-Gov. Tom Corbett, a Republican, signed it into law. And as the opioid epidemic spread in Pennsylvania, with more than 5,000 people dying from overdoses some years, some prosecutors embraced the charge.<\/p>\n Criminal sentences on the charge used to be rare, according to data from the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing. The commission\u2019s data are based on reports from common pleas courts in Pennsylvania, and a commission official told Spotlight PA that historically, the commission receives data on about 95% to 98% of all cases.<\/p>\n From 2007 through 2011, the commission\u2019s data show not a single person was convicted and sentenced on the charge.<\/p>\n But such punishments reached a recent high of around 100 in 2019.<\/p>\n Show more\u2026<\/p>\n How and why Spotlight PA reported this story<\/p>\n Whether and how to prosecute someone after a fatal drug overdose emerged as a major issue during Spotlight PA\u2019s ongoing reporting on Pennsylvania\u2019s addiction crisis.<\/p>\n In 2025, the newsroom organized a series of listening and engagement events focused on the opioid crisis and the debate over how best to spend billions of dollars in settlement money from drug companies. The goal was to create opportunities for the people most affected by the issue to get involved and share their own stories and solutions.<\/p>\n Multiple sources brought up the issue of prosecuting people who provided the fatal drugs. Some opposed this approach, while others said it could bring accountability.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n Defense attorneys, public health advocates<\/a>, and others have objected to the broad reach of the charge, with some calling it an \u201coutdated \u2018war on drugs\u2019 approach.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n While many defendants in these drug delivery resulting in death cases do not receive the maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison, attorneys say the threat of such a lengthy time in prison can pressure them into accepting guilty pleas.<\/p>\n About 90% of convictions on the charge result in state prison sentences, data show. In those situations, the average minimum sentence is about six years.<\/p>\n Veronica Miller, deputy legislative director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania, criticized the charge, arguing the opioid epidemic needs to be addressed \u201cas an actual public health issue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt really does not get to the heart of the issue,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, some prosecutors have argued the charge is an appropriate response to overdose deaths. Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday, a Republican, previously said<\/a> that when he was the York County district attorney, the office was \u201cextremely cautious in charging it,\u201d but that it can be \u201cappropriate, because there has to be accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n These investigations can provide answers to families and have a broader impact for those who might sell or use drugs, according to Kelly Callihan, executive director of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association. She said \u201cit is about justice\u201d and \u201csending the message to drug dealers that what you\u2019re selling is dangerous, is poisonous. It can cause death.\u201d<\/p>\n Tracking these types of cases nationally is a challenge. But researchers at the Action Lab at Northeastern University<\/a> found more drug-induced homicide cases in Pennsylvania than in any other state, based on media mentions. They identified hundreds more cases in Pennsylvania than in the next highest-ranking state.<\/p>\n Tips<\/p>\n En Espa\u00f1olEscr\u00edbenos<\/p>\n In English<\/p>\n Do you have a tip about drug overdose prosecutions that we should investigate? Or a story to share? We want to hear from you.<\/p>\n \u00bfTienes informaci\u00f3n que debemos saber? Escr\u00edbenos.<\/p>\n Defense attorneys have tried to rein in the charge<\/a>, with limited success<\/a>. In March, Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices<\/a> heard arguments in cases that could set an important precedent going forward and potentially add legal protections when the accused acquired and used drugs alongside the person who died.<\/p>\n But some justices appeared skeptical that they \u2014 and not the legislature \u2014 had the power to make that change. A ruling was pending as of early June.<\/p>\n For now, much of the power over this issue comes down to how local law enforcement decides to approach these cases and the resources they have to investigate them. The use of the charge has varied widely across the state.<\/p>\n In Tioga County, Cyndi has urged lawmakers to act, saying municipal police lacked knowledge, resources, and time to fully investigate Isaiah\u2019s death. She sees extending the statute of limitations beyond two years as one solution to the obstacles investigators face.<\/p>\n Cyndi hasn\u2019t wavered in her support for drug delivery resulting in death prosecutions. She\u2019s listened to arguments against, including the claim that someone else will just take a convicted dealer\u2019s place. Well, catch that person too, she said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n Even if the accused is experiencing addiction themselves, she still thinks they need consequences. She compared the situation to someone with an alcohol addiction who drinks, gets behind the wheel of a car, and kills someone.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re still held accountable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n This investigation was supported with funding from the Data-Driven Reporting Project. The Data-Driven Reporting Project is funded by Arnold Ventures and the Google News Initiative in partnership with Northwestern University | Medill.<\/p>\n![\"Cyndi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MjAyNi8wNi8wMW4zLWs2ZXctMXk3NC16M2dlLmpwZWc=.jpeg\" "\\"Cyndi")
Cyndi Compton shows a tattoo she has in memory of her son Isaiah.
\n(Ed Mahon \/ Spotlight PA)<\/p>\n![\"Isaiah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MjAyNi8wNi8wMW4zLXR6OHMtOThwMS1yMjg5LmpwZWc=.jpeg\" "\\"Isaiah")
A grand jury presentment called Isaiah Compton’s death \u201coverdose-related\u201d and said it involved fentanyl, cocaine, and other substances.
\n(Ed Mahon \/ Spotlight PA)<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MjAyNi8wNi8wMW4zLTZoZjMtNnBtMS1iZXoyLmpwZWc=.jpeg\" "\\"Photo")
<\/p>\n![\"Susan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MjAyNi8wNi8wMW4zLWs2MWEtYjltdC1mY2g2LmpwZWc=.jpeg\" "\\"Susan")
Susan Ousterman, right, is a national drug policy advocate based in Bucks County.
\n(Amanda Berg \/ For Spotlight PA)<\/p>\n![\"Austin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MjAyNi8wNi8wMW4zLTYwMDAtY2pnNi1rbm1kLmpwZWc=.jpeg\" "\\"Austin")
<\/p>\n![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MjAyNi8wNi8wMW4zLTV3dHktZWt5OC13MzlxLmpwZWc=.jpeg\" "\\"Photo")
<\/p>\n![\"During](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/MjAyNi8wNi8wMW4zLXY5cWUtcjMyeS1zZTN6LmpwZWc=.jpeg\" "\\"During")
During a public forum hosted by Spotlight PA in April 2025, Beth Nazaryk talks about the overdose death of her daughter.
\n(Susan L. Angstadt \/ For Spotlight PA)Increases in prosecutions<\/p>\n