Ferndale woman sentenced for her role in fatal 2020 overdose
A Ferndale woman was sentenced to a year and a day in prison on Tuesday for her role in a March 2020 overdose death.
Sheila Rochelle Johnson, 60, was one of three people arrested on suspicion of controlled substance homicide after selling drugs to 31-year-old Evan Parberry prior to his fatal overdose from a combination of fentanyl, cocaine and benzodiazepines.
Court documents allege that Kim McWillis Ribble arranged a drug deal between Parberry, Johnson and Brezedric Antowyn Jamerson for blue “M30s,” a type of counterfeit pill resembling Oxycodone that’s often laced with fentanyl, and cocaine.
While the four of them were together for the deal, they smoked crack cocaine that Johnson allegedly provided. Parberry then went home and accidentally overdosed.
Investigators found about 100 fentanyl-laced pills and more than $2,000 when they arrested Johnson and Jamerson in a Ferndale hotel room.
Jamerson pleaded guilty to controlled substance homicide in July 2023 and was sentenced to over eight years in prison. Ribble is out of custody awaiting trial, which is scheduled for Aug. 3.
Johnson posted bail shortly after her arrest, and court documents allege that she continued to be involved in drug sales following her release. Jail phone call records show that Jamerson taught her how to connect with their fentanyl supplier so that she could continue to sell while he was in custody.
Johnson was arrested again in November 2022 for possession of cocaine with intent to deliver.
Johnson pleaded guilty to the unlawful delivery of a controlled substance on May 5 for both the 2020 and 2022 cases. As part of the plea deal, she agreed to testify in Ribble’s trial.
However, Johnson made a motion to withdraw her guilty plea at the sentencing hearing, as she said that saying she had a role in Parberry’s death would be a lie. The motion was denied.
Who was Evan Parberry?
Parberry’s parents, sister and uncle all spoke either in person or through a victim advocate at Johnson’s sentencing on Tuesday afternoon.
“I stand before you with a heart that still aches as deeply as it did six years ago,” Parberry’s mother said. “Losing Evan shattered our family in many ways.”
She described rebuilding the family business, Scrap-It, in Ferndale, and working there with her husband and son. She said Parberry was supposed to take over when they retired; now, they’re still working, and feel his absence at the scrapyard every day.
Parberry loved to hunt and fish, and wanted to be a father one day. His sister said he loved being an uncle and that her children have been “robbed” of having him in their lives.
All four relatives said Johnson has not shown remorse for her role in his death, which she continued to deny. They also brought up the pain that ongoing court proceedings and delays have caused.
“It’s long past time for justice,” Parberry’s uncle said.
The state and defense both alluded to a sudden unavailability of a witness in the offering of a plea deal, and Johnson’s attorney said their expert was “adamant” that the cocaine provided by Johnson did not cause Parberry’s death.
Johnson addressed the court in tears after Parberry’s family spoke. She emphasized that she did not know Parberry, and said she never delivered drugs to him. She did admit to selling cocaine, but said it was to support her own addiction, not to make money or “destroy lives.”
Judge Jennifer Slattery followed the agreed recommendation and sentenced Johnson to a year and a day in prison followed by a year in community custody. She said she hopes Johnson takes advantage of the time and resources available to her so that when she’s released, she can make a positive impact on the community.