Matthew Douglas Roop, 34, of Taylorsville, was sentenced to serve 10 to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to death by distribution during Catawba County Superior Court on Thursday, April 3, 2025.
The Honorable Karen Eady-Williams, Superior Court Judge from Mecklenburg County, imposed terms of the active sentence after Roop entered the guilty plea in connection with the overdose and death of a 35-year-old male victim.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear about deaths from overdoses,” Judge Eady-Williams said.
The death occurred on October 16, 2023, when the victim overdosed on drugs supplied to him by Roop. The autopsy report indicated that the victim died of toxicity from methamphetamine, Gabapentin, Oxycodone and Alprazolam.
The victim’s cell phone was seized, and Roop was identified as a contact who was selling drugs to him.
During an interview with investigators, Roop said the victim contacted him to get fentanyl. Roop met his supplier and took the fentanyl to the victim at his residence, telling him that it was strong and could kill him. So deadly were the drugs that Roop provided the victim with Narcan, a substance designed to rapidly reverse the effects of a life-threatening opioid emergency.
Roop told investigators that he sold fentanyl to the victim on five other occasions and had provided him with Narcan during several of those transactions as a precaution.
The victim’s mother was present for the plea and addressed the Court at sentencing. She said the loss of her son hurt deeply and that his life mattered, but she was satisfied with the plea because it helped take a dealer off the streets.
The defendant also addressed the Court, saying, “I want the family to know I’m truly sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen.”
Josh Rector was the lead investigator for the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant District Attorney Howard Wellons prosecuted the matter for the State with aid from Legal Assistant Meredith Scott.