Rockford man gets 12½ years in prison for drug-induced homicide

A Rockford man who was convicted of murder as a teen was sentenced to 12½ years in prison Wednesday for selling the heroin that later killed a 30-year-old man.

Jaynell Ross pleaded guilty in November to drug-induced homicide in connection with Andrew J. Giblin's overdose death.

Ross’ father, ill with bone cancer, told the judge that his family depends on the 38-year-old for basic care. Meanwhile, Giblin’s mother sobbed as she described seeing her son’s face through an opening in a body bag.

“I wanted to hold you, to kiss you,” she said through tears. “But I was told not to touch you – that your body was evidence. Everything after that is a blur.”

Ross must serve 75 percent of his sentence, which will begin after he completes a six-year prison term in a related Winnebago County case. His criminal history also includes a first-degree murder conviction stemming from an incident when Ross was 16 years old. He was sentenced to 26 years in prison in 1997 and was released early in 2009.

Ross faced a maximum of 17 years in prison for Giblin’s death.

McHenry County Sheriff’s deputies were called July 11, 2017, to a home in the 25000 block of Harmony Road, Marengo, for an unresponsive 30-year-old man who died later that day.

Connie Giblin described her son as a fun-loving man who always was surrounded by friends and family. He had struggled on and off with addiction to drugs and alcohol and had sought treatment several times, she said.

“When Andrew loved you, you were loved well,” Connie Giblin said.

After Andrew Giblin’s death, sheriff’s officials worked with Rockford police and a confidential informant to arrange three controlled drug deals, Rockford Police Sgt. David Cone said. When police arrested Ross after the third drug sting, he consented to a search of his Rockford home, where officers found a fully installed surveillance system and a firearm, Cone said.

Ross later admitted to police that he delivered drugs to as many as 40 customers. Having heard the “horror stories” of overdose deaths, Ross told officers he always wore gloves to protect himself while packaging heroin, Cone said.

Defense attorney Kunal Kulkarni said Ross started selling drugs when he learned his fiancée was pregnant and they began experiencing financial problems.

“I am extremely sorry about your loss,” Ross told Giblin’s family. “... I think about it every day.”