A Central Florida woman was sentenced for murder by unlawful distribution of fentanyl in the death of a 48-year-old man.
47-year-old Delia Marie Dean pleaded guilty to Second-Degree Murder and was sentenced to 20 years in the Florida Department of Corrections. Dean’s plea comes after her 2022 arrest for murder via distribution of Fentanyl in the death of 48-year-old Jonathan Michael Bishop.
“This case represents the significant battle law enforcement faces when combating the opioid epidemic in our communities,” said Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson. “Thanks to recent legislative changes, both our office and our law enforcement partners have new tools to address the issue and hold defendants like this accountable for their roles in perpetuating this crisis.”
On April 20, 2024, deputies with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) responded to a residence off West Hudson Street in Inverness in reference to a death. Upon arrival, officials located Jonathan in his room, where he was pronounced deceased due to obvious signs of rigor mortis.
After speaking with the decedent’s mother and witness on scene, it was determined that the decedent did not have any medical conditions that would cause his passing.
As investigators searched through Jonathan’s room, they located a white powdery substance, identified as Fentanyl, was discovered in his bathroom. The powder was field-tested and yielded a positive result for the presence of Fentanyl. The powder was collected for evidence and the decedent’s body was turned over to the medical examiner to determine the cause of death.
CCSO’s Major Crimes detectives and Tactical Impact Unit detectives continued to work collectively on this case and identified Dean as the primary suspect. On May 19, 2022, the toxicology report from the Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Jonathan’s cause of death as a combined drug toxicity of Fentanyl and alcohol.
Based on the findings of this case, along with the evidence collected and interviews conducted, an arrest warrant was issued and Dean was arrested on May 23, 2022.
The prosecution of this case was handled by Assistant State Attorney Blake Shore.
