PHILADELPHIA - First Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams announced that Emma Semler, 23, of Collegeville, PA was sentenced today to 21 years’ incarceration, six years supervised release, and a $2,500 fine by the Honorable Gene E.K. Pratter. The defendant was convicted by a jury in December 2018 of one count of distribution, and aiding and abetting the distribution, of heroin resulting in death, and one count of distribution, and aiding and abetting the distribution, of heroin resulting in death within 1,000 feet of a playground.
Semler and the victim first became friends when they met at a drug rehabilitation facility in November 2013. On May 9, 2014, the victim contacted Semler via Facebook Messenger about obtaining heroin. Semler told the victim that Semler knew a place where they could get heroin and said Semler would bring her younger sister along with them. Semler also agreed to provide the syringe for the victim to use to inject the heroin.
The three women then traveled to the Overbrook section of West Philadelphia to purchase drugs from someone known to Semler. Upon Semler purchasing the heroin, the women went to a nearby Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurant, located at 61st Street and Lancaster Avenue in Philadelphia. All three women went into the women’s restroom, where Semler distributed a packet of heroin along with a syringe to the victim. The victim injected the heroin and began to display symptoms of overdosing. When she realized that the victim was overdosing, Semler did not help the victim or call 911. Instead, Semler and her sister cleaned the bathroom of the evidence of their drug use and fled the KFC without contacting anyone regarding the victim’s condition, leaving her alone and fighting for her life on the bathroom floor. The victim was later found by a KFC employee, who immediately called 911. Despite efforts by first responders and later a hospital, the victim was pronounced dead. The KFC was located within 1,000 feet of a playground.
“This defendant acted with complete disregard for another human life, the life of a supposed friend," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Williams. “The defendant continued to engage in criminal behavior and was arrested for possession of heroin again after the victim’s death. Aggressively prosecuting egregious drug crimes like this case is part of this Office’s multi-layered approach to confronting the opioid epidemic ravaging our neighborhoods. The sentence handed down today is in the interest of justice."
“Semler was convicted at trial of providing the victim with the heroin that lead to her fatal overdose," said Jonathan A. Wilson, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Philadelphia Field Division. “The fact that Semler left the victim alone as she was overdosing is particularly disturbing, as she most likely could have been aided by first responders."
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney A. Nicole Phillips.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
