FREEHOLD, NJ – An Asbury Park woman received an eight-year prison sentence for her role in the overdose death of her 2-year-old son, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago.
Quanique Smith, 27, is required to serve at least 85 percent of her sentence before becoming eligible for parole, following New Jersey’s No Early Release Act. The sentencing occurred during a hearing before Monmouth County Superior Court Assignment Judge Marc C. Lemieux.
Police responded to a call regarding an unresponsive child in an apartment on Langford Street shortly after 1 a.m. on January 5. The child was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead before 2 a.m.
A joint investigation led by Detective Stephen Cavendish of the Prosecutor’s Office and Detective Anthony Houlis of the Asbury Park Police Department found that heroin and fentanyl belonging to Smith were accessible to both the deceased 2-year-old and his 5-year-old sibling. Smith was arrested the same day and later indicted in March.
In May, Smith pleaded guilty to a charge of first-degree Aggravated Manslaughter, which will be considered a second-degree offense for sentencing purposes.