EHT man gets seven years in Margate drug death

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YJjazkGKAA&feature=youtu.be Mark Boothby will never forget looking into his daughter's lifeless eyes when he found her dead in her bed from an overdose Aug. 2, 2017. The Margate man and longtime teacher gave a long, emotional, unscripted statement Friday, as the man who admitted selling Caroline Boothby the deadly drugs was sentenced to seven years  in prison. Philip Eldred, 30, pleaded guilty in July to the strict liability drug-induced death of the 22-year-old woman. He was part of an alleged narcotics-trafficking network that charges claim was led by George Stokes. A gun charge he also pleaded to was the result of his dealer asking him to hold it, attorney Brendan Shur told the judge. A storage facility housing more drugs was in Eldred's name for the same reason. "Caroline was a great girl," Eldred said as he addressed the court, apologizing to the woman's family. He said they often used together and he knows it could just have easily been him who wound up dead. Eldred's parents and a former teacher talked of the brilliant man who always worked hard and helped other people. BOOTHBY But Boothby wanted to know where that man was the night before he found his daughter. He said the excuse seemed to be that Eldred too is a drug addict. But that's who he preyed upon to help keep his own drugs flowing, Boothby said. The weak suffering from addiction were "his bread and butter." Boothby’s father urged the judge to send a message to those profiting from people sick with addiction. “All my hopes are pinned on your decision today,” Boothby told Superior Court Judge Benjamin Podolnick. Seven years the maximum under the plea deal. Still not long enough, the grieving father said. Podolnick said he needed to take a break before imposing sentencing. He had Shur and Assistant Prosecutor Rick McKelvey come back to his chambers before returning to the bench. He noted that Eldred could have faced 20 years, and that he might have given it to him. It took some thought to be able to approve the downgrade to so much less time. The words of Eldred's parents and the defendant himself helped, he said. Eldred's family had asked for even less time, saying the more time he serves in prison, the longer it will take for him to get the help he needs. He has been in the Atlantic County Justice Facility for 10 months. He will have to serve five years and one month more to meet the minimum under the No Early Release Act. Boothby said he will never forget finding his daughter. That the image haunts him. Her “beautiful eyes” that had been so full of life had no color, her pupils so big they blotted out her irises. “You want to talk about an undignified death,” Boothby said, talking of how medics took his daughter out naked on a gurney. Eldred has been cooperating with the state in the larger case, even before the plea deal was made, his attorney said. Eldred was among 10 people indicted in February related to their alleged work for Stokes. The group has been linked to the fentanyl-related deaths of Boothby, Hector Santos, 29, and William Ang, 33. “Drug dealers should be aware that if you sell drugs that cause the death of others, they will be charged with homicide,” Tyner said when he announced the indictments in February. A special unit is assigned to investigate these deaths. Fourteen people have been indicted so far. [visual-link-preview encoded="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"]