A man admitted to hiding the body of an overdose victim behind the dumpster of an apartment building in Bensalem Township last year.
Maksim Stankevich, 41, pleaded guilty Friday on charges of abuse of a corpse, theft and receiving stolen property. He was sentenced to one year, less a day, to two years, less a day, in the Bucks County Correctional Facility.
On Sept. 16, 2021, Dean Alexander DeJesus, 40, was visiting Stankevich’s apartment on the 3300 block of Johns Court in Bensalem and asked if he could use his bathroom. Stankevich later found DeJesus dead on the bathroom floor.
Instead of calling for help, Stankevich removed DeJesus’ body and wrapped him up in a rope and blanket. Stankevich then placed DeJesus’ body in a garbage can and left him behind a dumpster at the Townhomes at Gateway apartment complex a half a mile away.
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Police found DeJesus’ body behind the dumpster later that afternoon. Investigators determined he died from a drug overdose.
Stankevich was later taken into custody and interviewed on Oct. 5, 2021. He was in possession of DeJesus’ cellphone, backpack and two t-shirts at the time. He was then arrested and charged.
After Stankevich’s arrest, Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said there was no excuse for not reporting the overdose. The Good Samaritan law gives immunity for reporting drug overdoses.
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"To have treated Mr. DeJesus with dignity would only have required the Defendant to take a fraction of a second to dial 911,” Deputy District Attorney Marc J. Furber said. “Instead, he made the conscious decision to treat a deceased friend like a piece of garbage, leaving his body to rot behind a dumpster.”
