Bay Area woman accused in fatal drug deal pleads guilty to manslaughter

TAMPA, Fla. - A Bay Area woman may have set a new benchmark for accused drug dealers facing murder charges after becoming the first in Hillsborough County to plead guilty to manslaughter in the death of a user. 

Prosecutors say Chrystal Gayle Post sold drugs that were a deadly combination of heroin, fentanyl, and meth.

"Per the chief toxicologist at the Hillsborough medical examiner’s office, the concentration of fentanyl in the victim’s peripheral blood was .004 mg, which was considered to be a lethal dose," explained prosecutor Kirsten Nyquist.

While Post is headed to prison, other accused drug dealers charged with murder like Garland Layton have yet to be resolved.

Layton is accused of selling drugs to Plant High School student Katie Golden and her boyfriend Titan Goodson. Prosecutor Scott Harmon says Golden died from a heroin overdose. 

"It was that second round of heroin later that evening that ended up killing Katie Golden and she passed away because of the heroin that they had bought from this defendant," explained Harmon.

Goodson, who at first was charged with manslaughter, cut a deal with prosecutors in March 2020, on reduced charges and was sentenced to one year in the county jail, plus probation.

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Now, Post is headed to prison for ten years, which could set a standard for future drug dealers facing murder charges.

The Hillsborough State Attorney's office says they have eight defendants, including Layton, that remain active cases.