Woman faces murder charges

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Police say she gave husband, another man lethal doses of fentanyl

By Alex Bridges -- abridges@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- A Frederick County woman has been charged with murder for supplying lethal doses of drugs to her husband and another man in October, authorities say.

A grand jury on Thursday indicted Rebecca Mae Jolley, 45, of 1308 Baker Lane, Winchester, on two counts each of second-degree murder and distribution of fentanyl, according to Maj. Robert "Robbie" Eckman, of the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.
Jolley remains held at the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center.

George L. Jolley Jr. , 48, of the Baker Lane address, died Oct. 2, and Joseph W. Smith, 48, of 1272 Carpers Pike, Gore, died 10 days later, Eckman said.

Toxicology reports performed by the state medical examiner's office determined both men died from the effects of lethal doses of fentanyl, Eckman said Monday.

Fentanyl most commonly appears in the form of a transdermal patch. Virginia law classifies fentanyl as a schedule I or II controlled substance.

Authorities searched the Baker Lane residence on Oct. 10 and discovered several packets of fentanyl for which Rebecca Jolley did not have a prescription, Eckman said.

The suspect obtained the drugs from other family members, he said.

Sheriff's office investigators Nathan Spence and Les Taylor conducted an investigation and the commonwealth's attorney sought indictments against the suspect, which the grand jury handed down Thursday. The court sealed the indictments pending her arrest. Authorities served the arrest warrants on Rebecca Jolley on Friday.

A search warrant executed Jan. 19 to obtain DNA and fingerprints from Rebecca Jolley reveals more information from the investigation.

Officers responded to Joseph Smith's home for a report of a death from a possible drug overdose. The affidavit obtained for the warrant, filed in Frederick County Circuit Court, states investigators found an empty, 100-milligram transdermal fentanyl packet in a bathroom trash can.

The affidavit notes fentanyl produces an effect similar but sometimes more potent than
morphine.

Joseph Smith's sister, Lelia Newlin, told deputies no one living at the Carpers Pike residence had a prescription for fentanyl, according to the affidavit.

Newlin told officers she drove her brother to 1308 Baker Lane and dropped him off at the residence and waited for him, the affidavit states.

That occurred about three hours before the 911 call regarding the man's overdose, according to the affidavit.

Deputies performed a consensual search of 1308 Baker Lane and found several types of fentanyl patches including "a box of 100-milligram, Mylam brand transdermal system" like the one matching the empty packet recovered in the bathroom trash can, according to the affidavit.

Some of the patches were missing from the box discovered at 1308 Baker Lane, the affidavit states.

Taylor spoke with Rebecca Jolley, identified in the affidavit as a friend of Smith's, who told the investigator the man visited her Oct. 12 at about 11 a.m.

Jolley said Smith stayed for a few minutes while his sister waited in a car outside, according to the affidavit.

"Jolley said that Smith and herself went into her bedroom for a moment so she could show Smith photographs of her children," the affidavit states. "Jolley said that she has never touched any of the Fentanyl patches found in the residence."

The investigator sought to determine if Jolley's fingerprints and DNA were on the empty packet found at the residence of the deceased.

Spence on Feb. 2 filed an affidavit for a warrant to search a cell phone belonging to Rebecca Jolley. Spence sought to search the cell phone for text messages, instant or voicemail messages, call and Internet history, as well as contacts and pictures possibly depicting conversations or images as evidence of fentanyl distribution. According to the affidavit, phone calls were made from the regional jail to Rebecca Jolley from October through November. Spence states he listened to the recorded conversations and Rebecca Jolley "makes reference to deleting text messages off from her cell phone."

Spence states the missing fentanyl patches had belonged to Rebecca Jolley's mother, Mary Sue Daily.

Rebecca Jolley makes reference in the recordings to receiving phone calls from people seeking to buy drugs from her and during one conversation she "refers to the sale of a 'Patch.'"