Selma Man Sentenced In Fatal Four Oaks Fentanyl Overdose Case

SMITHFIELD — A Selma man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to selling the drugs that prosecutors said caused the overdose death of a 19-year-old Four Oaks woman.

On Monday, Isaiah Lathomas DaPaul Watson pleaded guilty to Death by Distribution in connection with the Aug. 17, 2025 overdose death of Aleisha Amya Nicole Meshaw of Four Oaks.

According to the Johnston County District Attorney’s Office, emergency responders and the Four Oaks Police Department were dispatched to a 911 call during the early morning hours of Aug. 17 reporting Meshaw was unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 2:30 a.m.

Investigators determined Meshaw had purchased illicit pills from Watson on the afternoon of Aug. 16. An autopsy later concluded her cause of death was toxic ingestion of fentanyl and carfentanil.

Following the investigation, Watson was located and arrested in Virginia with assistance from the Roanoke Police Department. Prosecutors said Watson had recently completed a prison sentence stemming from a 2020 home invasion robbery before his arrest in the overdose case.

Thomas H. Lock sentenced Watson to an active prison term of 96 to 128 months, the highest sentence within the presumptive range for the offense.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Keith Gordon and Jimmy Wilson as part of District Attorney Jason Waller’s Dangerous Offenders Task Force initiative.

“Our heart goes out to Aleisha’s family, and I hope this outcome will help them find solace,” Gordon said. “Aleisha was a very young woman, loved by many, whose life was lost to a senseless act of greed.”

Waller praised the work of the Four Oaks Police Department, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Roanoke Police Department for their roles in the investigation.

“Death by distribution cases present unique challenges for prosecution,” Waller said. “The most important witness to the drug transaction is no longer with us, and other witnesses involved with this type of crime are often reluctant to cooperate. While many overdose cases go unsolved, the tenacious work of law enforcement produced the necessary evidence to bring this violent offender to justice. The Johnston County District Attorney’s Office is committed to holding accountable anyone who seeks profit from the addiction of others.”