Pennsylvania ‘professional drug dealer’ whose fentanyl led to death of 5-year-old girl sentenced to prison

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A western Pennsylvania “career drug dealer” whose fentanyl shipment led to the death of a 5-year-old girl has been sentenced to prison in connection with the incident, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office said.

Albert Spicer of Cambria County faces a prison sentence of 13 to 30 years for his most recent drug offense, which resulted in the death of 5-year-old Alaia Young in 2022. The Attorney General’s Office said in a news release that the 36-year-old man was sentenced after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to resell and other related charges.

Spicer has been convicted of drug trafficking at least six times, the Attorney General’s Office said. Cambria County Judge Norman A. Krumenacker said Spicer was a “professional drug trafficker” who sold fentanyl, which caused “death and destruction in communities everywhere.”

The 36-year-old Cambria County man was one of three people charged in Young’s death. Authorities said Spiecer supplied fentanyl/heroin to the girl’s mother. The 5-year-old girl ingested the drugs and suffered a fatal overdose at home.

“This defendant is the perpetrator of an unimaginable tragedy – the death of a completely innocent five-year-old girl,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry said in a press release Wednesday. “His days as a drug dealer have lasted long enough, and this sentence will ensure that it will be many years before he can potentially pose a danger to society again.”

Volaura Askew, Young’s mother, previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other related charges. She is currently in state prison.