Woman pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter after man dies from an overdose

ZANESVILLE − A local woman will spend 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound.

Court records show Tashia D. Stevens, 41, was originally charged with corrupting another with drugs, a second-degree felony, involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony; trafficking, a fourth-degree felony, trafficking, a fifth-degree felony; and tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony. She was sentenced recently by Judge Mark Fleegle. A trial had been scheduled for Sept. 10.

Law enforcement responded to a call of an overdose call on Feb. 22, involving a man in the bathroom of a local business. Matthew Parmer was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office.

Authorities found text messages on Parmer's phone between him and Stevens regarding drug transactions. On May 2, Stevens admitted to supply Parmer with drugs, per the prosecutor's office.

Parmer's mother wrote a letter to the court that read, in part, "I want Ms. Stevens to know our son's death will always be on her hands. She will always be known as the woman who killed our son. No matter what time she there, (there) will never be justice."

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: After overdose death, woman pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter