Two residents from Southern Utah have been sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison due to their involvement in the fatal overdose of a Utah woman. The incident involved supplying the victim with a lethal dose of fentanyl.
John Parry, a 40-year-old resident of Cedar City, was sentenced to 180 months, while Kimberly Dawn Hare, aged 34, received 144 months. Their sentencing followed guilty pleas to the charge of distributing fentanyl, formalized in November 2024. U.S. District Court Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen also required Parry and Hare to reimburse the victim's estate with $4,616.08, covering funeral and associated expenses. Both will be on supervised release for three years subsequent to serving their sentences.
Court records indicate that in April 2024, Parry and Hare provided the victim with fentanyl, leading to her death. Specifically, Parry traveled from Cedar City to Salt Lake City on April 19 to procure fentanyl. They used Hare's social media to negotiate with the victim regarding the sale of fentanyl pills. Upon returning to Cedar City on April 20, Parry supplied these pills to Hare, who then delivered them to the victim in a Cedar City hotel. Tragically, a passing individual found the victim deceased from an overdose within an hour. On-scene recovery efforts yielded two pills which tested positive for fentanyl. Toxicology revealed a lethal fentanyl concentration as well as lower levels of amphetamine and methamphetamine in the victim’s system.
“Today, our hearts are with the loved ones of the victim,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti. “No amount of imprisonment will justify the loss of life in this tragedy, but it is our hope that the sentence imposed will help them find closure and deter others from distributing this deadly drug.”
The case was investigated by the Cedar City Police Department alongside the Iron/Garfield/Beaver Counties Narcotics Task Force. Prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Brady Wilson and Stephen P. Dent from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
