{"id":4184,"date":"2026-07-08T17:40:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T17:40:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4184"},"modified":"2026-07-08T17:40:34","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T17:40:34","slug":"drug-dealer-sentenced-in-johnston-county-teens-overdose-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4184","title":{"rendered":"Drug dealer sentenced in Johnston County teen\u2019s overdose death"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"summary\">AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/news\/nation-world\/national\/article280707640.html\">Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A Selma man will spend at least eight years in prison after pleading guilty Monday to selling a teenager the drugs that killed her.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4182\">Triangle restaurant you miss the most? What readers had to say about 20 of them<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Isaiah Lathomas DaPaul Watson, 27, was charged with death by distribution in the August 2025 death of Alesha Meshaw, 19, of Four Oaks, The News &amp; Observer previously reported.<\/p>\n<p>Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Thomas H. Lock sentenced Watson to a minimum of eight years and maximum of 10 years and eight months in prison, the Johnston County District Attorney\u2019s Office announced Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Meshaw was found dead at a friend\u2019s home after overdosing on counterfeit oxycodone pills, The N&amp;O reported in October. The state crime lab found the pills actually contained fentanyl; carfentanil, a synthetic opioid \u201cmuch more potent than fentanyl\u201d; and ANPP, \u201ca direct precursor to fentanyl and acetylfentanyl,\u201d according to search warrants in the case.<\/p>\n<p>Meshaw\u2019s autopsy found she died from a fentanyl and carfentanil overdose. Her death was ruled an accident.<\/p>\n<p>Meshaw\u2019s boyfriend told police she\u2019d struggled with substance use, and investigators found texts on her phone indicating she\u2019d met with Watson the day before her death to buy $50 of \u201cblues,\u201d according to search warrants.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4180\">Stein vetoes \u2018poorly constructed\u2019 bill banning homeless encampments statewide<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Watson was arrested in Roanoke, Virginia, last September after hiding out at his girlfriend\u2019s house, search warrants show. He\u2019d previously served time in prison in a 2020 home invasion in Johnston County and also had pending charges there at the time of Meshaw\u2019s death, court records indicate.<\/p>\n<p>Johnston County District Attorney Jason Waller said in the release he was grateful for law enforcement\u2019s work to seek justice for Meshaw.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDeath by distribution cases present unique challenges for prosecution,\u201d Waller said in the email. \u201cThe most important witness to the drug transaction is no longer with us, and other witnesses involved in this type of crime are often reluctant to cooperate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meshaw, also known as \u201cMeme\u201d by loved ones, was described by family members in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/support-aleshas-family-in-their-time-of-grief\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">GoFundMe<\/a> as a \u201cbright soul [who] never let anything get her down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur heart goes out to Aleisha\u2019s [sic] family, and I hope this outcome will help them find solace,\u201d said Assistant District Attorney Keith Gordon, who prosecuted the case, in the release. \u201cAleisha [sic] was a very young woman, loved by many, whose life was lost to a senseless act of greed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4179\">NC auditor reassigns Dallas Woodhouse after controversy over early voting plans<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Isaiah Watson was sentenced to at least eight years in prison after pleading guilty in the overdose death of 19-year-old Alesha Meshaw in Four Oaks, NC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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