MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — Two men have admitted to their involvement in the 2020 fatal overdose of a Morgantown woman.
On Wednesday, 28-year-old Benjamin Shreve pleaded guilty in court to delivery of a controlled substance resulting in death. In July of 2020, Shreve and 26-year-old Lauren Cole bought heroin from 46-year-old Tremayne Johnson which was laced with fentanyl.
Cole died of an overdose of fentanyl.
Benjamin Shreve during his plea hearing where he pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance resulting in death (WBOY image) 
Tremayne Johnson
Johnson also pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the same charge as Shreve. Sentencing for Johnson and Shreve are scheduled for July 28 and Oct. 11, respectively.
The family of Lauren Cole was present at the sentencing. Cole’s mother burst into tears while explaining to the court how her daughter died. Monongalia County Circuit Judge Susan Tucker, who was presiding over the plea hearing, apologized multiple times that the family had to be there.
Since Cole’s death in 2020, her family has started a nonprofit, Lauren’s Wish, that works to help those struggling with addiction. Cole was a WVU graduate and cheerleader, a social worker, and had been a recovering addict for 10 years. In an interview with 12 News in February, Cole’s father, Michael Cole, said that his daughter overdosed during a relapse in the midst of the COVID quarantine.
Lauren’s Wish is now working to help those struggling with substance use disorder find hope and recover from this disease, according to its website. It is currently working on an Addiction Triage Center at Hazel’s House of Hope and creating a residential treatment center for women called Lauren’s Ladder.