Floral City woman charged with first degree murder in drug overdose death
On May 23, 2022, 44 year-old Delia Marie Dean of Floral City was arrested by the the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, charged with first-degree felony murder, as a result of unlawful distribution of a controlled substane - fentanyl - that resulted in the April 20, 2022 overdose death of 48 year-old Jonathan Michael Bishop of Inverness, Florida.
"This case is a landmark case for us here in Citrus County," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "As Gov. Ron DeSantis said after signing his bill into law last week - to increase the penalties for those who illegally sell and distribute opioids in our state, Floridians of all walks of life have witnessed the destruction caused by the opioid epidemic across our state. Last year, our county had 377 reported drug overdoses with 81 deaths, a 47% increase from the year prior. Our office stands with Gov. DeSantis in his fight to end this deadly crisis and save lives. This case is just one of many more to come, in our effort to hold those responsible for destroying our communities."
On April 20, deputies were dispatched to a residence off West Hudson Street in Inverness, in regard to a death. Officials arrived at the residence to find Mr. Bishop in his room, with obvious signs of rigor mortis. He was pronounced deceased. The decedent's mother and a witness on scene told officials that Mr. Bishop had no known medical problems that could have caused his death.
In Bishop's bathroom, deputies noticed a white powdery substance, fashioned in a line, with a rolled-up dollar bill next to it. The powder was field-tested and yielded a positive result for the presence of fentanyl. The white powder and the bill were collected as evidence. The decedent's body was turned over to the medical examiner to determine the cause of death.
Detectives with the agency's Major Crimes division and the Tactical Impact Unit worked together on this case and learned that Mr. Bishop had contacted Ms. Dean to obtain illicit narcotics, which she provided to him on numerous occasions.
Dean was located eight days after Bishop's death, and she was questioned as to her interactions with Bishop and her involvement in his illicit drug use. Dean admitted to detectives that she'd supplied Bishop with narcotics on various occasions, including the night of his death.
On May 19, 2022, the toxicology report from the Medical Examiner's Office ruled that the cause of Bishop's death was a combined toxicity of fentanyl and alcohol. Based on evidence and interviews, an arrest warrant was signed by the Honorable Judge Falvey on May 23, and Dean was arrested a few hours later.