West Chicago man supplied fentanyl to woman that killed her: prosecutors

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. - A 26-year-old West Chicago man is accused of supplying the fentanyl that led to a woman's fatal overdose in June.

Habile Jacob is facing charges of drug induced homicide, a class X felony, and delivery of a controlled substance, a class 2 felony. A DuPage County judge ordered Jacob to be held without bail pending his trial.

On June 25, West Chicago police responded to the 400 block of West Washington Street where they found a woman unresponsive in her bed. She was pronounced dead shortly after. Investigators found a blue powdery substance, later identified as fentanyl, at the scene.

It’s alleged that Jacob provided the fentanyl to the victim the night before her death. The autopsy confirmed the cause of death as a combination of fentanyl and 7-aminoclonazepam toxicity. The latter drug had been prescribed to the victim.

Habile Jacob

"The tragic death of the victim in this case is yet another terrible reminder of the extreme danger illegal narcotics, particularly fentanyl, continue to be in our communities," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.

"According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl is up to fifty times stronger than heroin and one hundred times stronger than morphine. Last year, more than 81 thousand overdose deaths were reported nationwide, with Illinois contributing 3,272 to that total. This senseless loss of life must stop and one way to stop it is to hold those who supply fatal doses of narcotics responsible. A dealer, a friend or even a family member may think twice about supplying this poison knowing that they will be looking at a significant amount of time behind bars if they are the proven source of a fatal overdose."

Jacob was arrested on Tuesday and is due in court on Oct. 28.