Joliet man sentenced to six years in prison after 2016 overdose death of Lockport woman
A Joliet man was sentenced to six years in prison for selling drugs in 2016 to a Lockport woman who later died of an overdose, the Will County state’s attorney’s office announced Monday.
Steve Talbot, 36, of Joliet, was sentenced by Will County Judge Carmen Goodman after pleading guilty Monday to one count of drug induced homicide for selling heroin and fentanyl to 24-year-old Celeste Roppo, a Lockport resident, according to a news release.
Roppo’s family found her unconscious Nov. 29, 2016, inside her Lockport home. She was transported to Silver Cross Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, prosecutors said.
Medical personnel found suspected drugs in her clothing, which the Illinois State Police crime lab determined to be 0.1 gram of heroin and fentanyl. The autopsy found Roppo died of fentanyl intoxication, according to the release.
Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow said fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, which means just two milligrams of fentanyl is lethal.
“Unscrupulous dealers commonly lace other drugs, such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, with the cheaper fentanyl to increase the high and entice the addicted drug user to come back for more, inflating their profits at the expense of the victims,” Glasgow said in the release.
The investigation uncovered messages regarding the drug exchange between Roppo and Kylie Murphy, of Elwood, who was sentenced in March to 10 years in prison, according to prosecutors.
Talbot was with Murphy when the drugs were purchased and exchanged, according to the release. Talbot was indicted in November 2019, said state’s attorney’s office spokeswoman Carole Cheney.
Since 2009, Glasgow has charged 20 defendants in drug induced homicide cases, according to the release.
