BUNNELL, Fla. — A Flagler County man was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday for second-degree murder after a woman overdosed and died following a drug deal.
Joseph Colon was sentenced more than two years after he was indicted by a grand jury in the overdose death of 23-year-old Savannah DeAngelis.
Following the sentencing, DeAngelis' parents joined Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly and State Attorney R.J. Larizza for a news conference.
"Drug dealing is not a career or livelihood," DeAngelis' mother said during the news conference, "so pay attention dealers. This will never be tolerated in this county and you will be stopped."
Back on Oct. 28, 2017, Flagler County deputies responded to an overdose at 19 Front St. in Palm Coast. DeAngelis was found unconscious and was rushed to AdventHealth Palm Coast where she was placed on life support. DeAngelis died two weeks later.
Detectives said Colon was spotted on surveillance video entering DeAngelis' subdivision the morning of her overdose. Witnesses also reported seeing a black Nissan with a male driver make a stop in front of DeAngelis' home. DeAngelis reportedly ran to the car and was given something from within the vehicle, according to witnesses. The vehicle then left the scene.
The 23-year-old was found unconscious on the bathroom floor by her father a short time later, the sheriff's office said. The woman was found with a syringe and a baggie containing heroin and Fentanyl.
About a week later, Colon was arrested on Nov. 6 for trafficking in hydromorphone, possession of heroin, crack cocaine and alprazolam with intent to distribute, possession of oxycodone and driving with a suspended license, according to the sheriff's office.
Colon was indicted by a grand jury on Feb. 20, 2018 for first-degree murder regarding DeAngelis' death. The case marked the first in Flagler County in which a drug dealer was charged with murder resulting from an overdose death. He took a plea deal for second-degree murder on Aug. 31, 2020.
Stay called Colon's sentencing "poetic justice" as it happened to fall on International Drug Overdose Awareness Day.
"I hope that in some way this helps bring healing to the family of Savannah DeAngelis," Staly said. "I have a warning to poison peddlers. We investigate every overdose death as a murder and you will be next to go to state prison."