A St. Tammany Parish jury has found a woman guilty of providing drugs that killed a 15-year-old girl.
She will now spend the rest of her life in prison after her convictions for second degree murder in the Fentanyl overdose death of the Covington girl.
"A St. Tammany Parish jury deliberated for slightly more than one hour before finding 43-year-old Felisia Grantham of Bush guilty of second degree murder," Assistant District Attorney Bruce Dearing said in a news release. "The charges result from the 2022 Fentanyl overdose death of a 15-year-old Covington girl."
The investigation started on July 12, 2022.
"Sheriff’s deputies and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) were dispatched to the defendant’s Bush residence in response to a 911 call reporting an unresponsive female at the home. Upon arrival, responding personnel observed a 15-year-old girl lying on her back on a bedroom floor, exhibiting no signs of life."
Dearing says detectives seized drugs found in the bedroom.
"Laboratory analysis of the recovered pills indicated they contained Fentanyl, a powerful opioid drug."
He says they were able to link the drugs to Grantham.
"Data obtained from the defendant’s phone revealed a series of text messages between the defendant and the victim occurring the day of the victim’s death. The conversation was initiated by the defendant and the essence of the conversation was the defendant offering to obtain Fentanyl for the victim in exchange for the victim sharing some of it with her… she then initiated a text message conversation with a known drug dealer from Covington."
He says with this information, they got a confession.
"Grantham eventually admitted her involvement in obtaining the Fentanyl that was determined to have caused the death of the victim."
Second degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.