A woman from Providence, Rhode Island, was sentenced to serve three to five years in prison for giving a North Attleborough man a cocktail laced with lethal narcotics, stealing his belongings and leaving him for dead.
According to Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn, Emily S. Velez, 31, pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter, larceny of a motor vehicle and larceny over $250 of a person above the age of 60 in Fall River Superior Court on Sept. 29.
Per the DA’s office, on Nov. 21, 2021, Velez was caught shoplifting by local law enforcement at a Walmart in Warwick, Rhode Island. She told officers to check on a man from North Attleborough who had been given a cocktail of fentanyl by her earlier in the day.
Officers from the North Attleborough Police Department found Dennis Heelen, 61, dead in his bed at his home on Grove St. According to the DA’s office, a plastic bag with fentanyl residue was found in a trash can by the bed. No other drugs were found in the bedroom or house.
An investigation found that Velez knew Heelen was unresponsive after she left his home at 10 a.m. that day. Investigators also found that Velez stole his car, cell phone, wallet and used his credit card at Walmart four hours later.
According to court documents, Velez was sentenced to serve three to five years in state prison.
In a press release, Quinn said he was satisfied with the ruling and said Velez’s actions were dangerous and responsible for Heelen’s death.
“By providing the victim with a lethal combination of drugs, the defendant wantonly and recklessly caused his death,” Quinn said. “I am pleased the defendant has been held accountable for her conduct.”
