The remarks of a mother whose son died from a methadone overdose proved so poignant on Monday that a judge sentencing the man responsible for providing the drug used Gail DeLucca's comments as the focus of his sentence.

"This is not a happy day. Mrs. DeLucca's remarks are as eloquent as I've ever heard from a victim's family and should be the centerpiece of what has been said," presiding Judge Larry Smukler said before sentencing Jeremy Copp, 20, formerly of 59 Weirs Boulevard, No. 6, Laconia.

Copp, who was indicted on a charge of sale of a narcotic drug (methadone) — death resulting — in the death of his friend, Raymond DeLucca, 20, had been scheduled for a probation violation hearing but instead agreed to plead guilty to the underlying indictment as well as the violation charge as part of a negotiated settlement with Belknap County Attorney Jim Carroll, who was prosecuting the case.

The drug death charge was potentially punishable by up to life in prison. Copp accepted a five- to 15-year sentence in the New Hampshire State Prison with credit for 281 days of pretrial confinement.

Copp chose not to speak at the sentencing that was attended by his extended family, including his mother, father, grandmother, brother, sister and best friend.

Following the hearing, Copp's grandmother embraced Mrs. DeLucca and her two daughters, saying the tables could have easily been turned with Raymond DeLucca sharing the drug with Copp.

Had the case gone to trial, Carroll said the state would have been able to prove that Copp bought the powerful painkiller from Edward Costello and that he shared the drug with his friend, not knowing that it would subsequently kill DeLucca.

Carroll said Laconia resident Frank Noe went to police within days of DeLucca's death and said he had heard that Costello was selling his methadone prescription and that Copp had bought some and given it to DeLucca. Police later asked Noe to purchase some methadone from Costello, which he did.

Costello was arrested and convicted and he received a sentence of 15 to 40 years in prison. His wife and daughter also were arrested and sentenced in connection with the methadone sale.

Carroll said Dr. Jennie Duval, the state's deputy chief medical examiner, would testify that an autopsy determined that DeLucca died as a result of the toxic effects of methadone.

On the probation violation charge, Copp was sentenced to two to four years in the State Prison to be served concurrently with the prior sentence. The court additionally ordered that he receive drug and alcohol treatment and counseling and that he complete counseling, treatment or educational programs as directed by correctional authorities.

Other terms of the plea agreement require Copp to pay $1,000 in restitution plus a statutory 17 percent penalty with $1,000 being paid to the City of Laconia and $2,000 to the Robbie Mills Foundation, payable to Wendy Mills.

Carroll told the court that, although Copp was cooperative with police and admitted to the crime, he has a lengthy criminal past including convictions for criminal mischief, theft by unauthorized taking, shoplifting, simple assault, possession of a controlled drug, burglary and second-degree assault.

The prosecutor told the court that Copp was a drug dealer in the traditional sense since he didn't sell the deadly drug but rather shared it with a friend, but any time young people engage in the transfer of drugs without the proper education and training "the result can be onerous and potentially have a life sentence connected to it," he warned.

"Mr. Copp made a bad decision and as a result one young man is no longer with us. I would hope the sentence would serve as a general deterrent to prescription drug abuse in the community," he continued.

Attorney Jim Moir, who represented Copp, said his client, who has a 10th grade education, plans to take advantage of all the programs prison has to offer including getting his GED.

He said Copp split the methadone with his friend and that the amount was so small it never should have resulted in anyone's death, but that it did.

"That's the message. It can kill anyone," he stressed.

"This has been a hard, tragic lesson for Jeremy, his family and everyone else," he concluded.