A Florida prisoner who smuggled drugs into jail in her vagina has been charged with murder after another inmate overdosed on the illegally imported substance, police say.
Marion County Jail officials have alleged that Jennifer Lane Patrick, 24, hid the drugs inside her vagina when she was arrested on September 7. Prison officials say that a surveillance video shows Patrick handing a small item to another inmate, 22-year-old Lorraine Gardner, the New York Post reports.
Gardner, who had been arrested the previous week on possession charges, is seen holding the small item to her face before falling to the floor, showing signs of distress. Jail staffers came to her aid but were unable to revive her, the sheriff’s office report states.
An autopsy determined that Gardner died of a lethal mixture of heroin and fentanyl, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
An investigation revealed “incriminating statements” in phone calls between Patrick and her boyfriend, 49-year-old Scott Derringer, made after Gardner’s death.
Derringer was also arrested. He was charged with solicitation to possess fentanyl, trafficking heroin, and battery on a law enforcement official, court papers show.
For her part, Patrick was charged with first-degree murder as well as possession of fentanyl and introduction of contraband. She remains in jail without bail.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.
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