Cops: Drug Dealer Charged With the Death of a Burlington County Man

Authorities say a drug dealer from Trenton has been charged in connection to the death of a man in Burlington County last year.

34-year-old Marvin Montoya has been charged with Strict Liability for Drug-induced Death (first degree), Distribution of a Controlled Dangerous Substance (third degree), and Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Dangerous Substance (third degree).

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Pemberton Township Police Chief David King say Montoya caused the death of a Browns Mills man who fatally overdosed on fentanyl he sold to him last year.

Coffina's office says, "The investigation began after the decedent, 23-year-old Michael Williams, was discovered by a relative the morning of August 11, 2020, after he failed to get up for work. The investigation revealed that Williams had previously traveled to Trenton and purchased the drugs from Montoya in the city’s North Ward."

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An autopsy performed by the Burlington County Medical Examiner determined that Williams died of fentanyl toxicity.

Montoya was taken into custody on Monday in Trenton and lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly.

He will face a detention hearing in Superior Court in the near future.

Coffina says since 2017, there have been 26 defendants charged in Burlington County with Strict Liability for Drug-Induced Death. Ten have been convicted or pled guilty and another four have been indicted. The remaining cases are pending presentation to a grand jury.