A Cuyahoga Falls mother quoted from her daughter’s obituary Friday morning during the sentencing for the man who provided her fatal dose of drugs.
“Sheena would not want us to cry,” Brenda Ryan said of her daughter, Sheena Marie Moore, 31, who died last June. “She would want us to fight.”
Ryan, who managed not to cry during her remarks in Summit County Common Pleas Court, continued her fight Friday morning, leading a protest outside the courthouse before the sentencing of Derrick Sales Jr., who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Moore’s death. Ryan and her supporters are pushing for state legislation that would provide stiffer penalties for drug dealers who peddle the often-deadly opiates fentanyl and carfentanil.
“Stop the dealers! No more drugs!” the protesters chanted as they carried signs with messages such as “Stiffer penalties for drug dealers” and “Put heroin dealers in prison for life” that drew honks from passing cars.
Moore was found dead in her Cuyahoga Falls home June 9, 2016. Investigators determined she died from fentanyl toxicity. Police were able to track the drugs she used to Sales, prosecutors said.
Parole officers raided Sales’ home in January while he was awaiting trial. They found “a large amount of powerful illegal narcotics separately packaged and prepared for shipment,” according to court documents. Sales was on parole for a tampering-with-evidence conviction from an unrelated case.
Ryan traveled to Columbus earlier this year to testify in support of Senate Bill 1, which would alter the criminal code to put fentanyl or carfentanil on par with heroin. The bill has passed the Senate and is pending in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Fentanyl, a powerful painkiller, is described as 50 times stronger than heroin. Carfentanil, used to sedate elephants, is said to be 100 times stronger than that. Drug users who buy heroin can’t be sure if they are buying heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil or a combination.
Sales, 24, of Akron,who was scheduled to go on trial this week, pleaded guilty April 14 to involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony; having a weapon under disability, a third-degree felony; and aggravated trafficking in fentanyl and carfentenil, a fourth-degree felony. He faced 11 years on the involuntary manslaughter charge, and potentially more prison time on the other charges.
Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Joe Dangelo compared Sales to the grim reaper. He said Sales knew he caused Moore’s death, but was found with more drugs even after that.
“The solace that he will be in prison for eight years without the opportunity to sell drugs is something we are comfortable with,” Dangelo said.
Ryan, who was facing Sales for the first time, read from a prepared statement, a step she said beforehand was necessary to help her get through it. She was joined in court by about 20 friends and family members who had participated in the protest, many who wore “Akron Say No to Dope” T-shirts.
Ryan said her daughter was a loving mother to her 6-year-old son and was a “beautiful soul.” She has co-custody of her grandson with his paternal grandfather.
“How do I explain how I face every day not getting to hear her voice or hold her hand?” Ryan asked.
Ryan urged Judge Paul Gallagher to impose a heftier sentence than the eight years negotiated between prosecutors and Charles Quinn, Sales’ attorney.
“This dealer has no regards for any laws or any life,” she said.
Quinn said he has had experiences with opioids in his own family that he shared with Sales. He said he thinks Sales has gained insight into the heroin crisis.
Sales apologized to Moore’s family and friends. He said he plans to try to improve himself while in prison, including by getting his GED.
Gallagher followed the plea agreement and sentenced Sales to eight years in prison.
Summit County has been more aggressive than other Ohio counties in using the involuntary manslaughter charge to prosecute people who provide opioids to someone who dies after taking them.
Ryan said after the sentencing that she felt a sense of closure, but no satisfaction. She said she will continue to fight for tougher penalties for dealers and try to help other families who have lost loved ones.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705, swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj .