YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -A man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for providing heroin that led to a young woman's death.

Jamal Vaughn, 29, of Oak Lane stood before Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Lou D'Apolito and apologized to the family of 22-year-old Jessica Elaine Porter.

"I'd like to apologize to her family. I'm sorry for their loss, behind my actions of selling drugs," Vaughn said. "I want to just apologize and just want to say there's no excuse for what I've done, selling drugs is illegal. I knew it was illegal. But some circumstances led me to that type of life style."

The victim's family is satisfied with the sentence, but say nothing will bring Jessica back. The Porter family says the heroin that took her life has made it's way to Valley streets and is devastating and destroying families.

"In this area it is so rampant and it's touching everybody, no matter how much money you make, no matter how educated you are, it's killing our kids," says the victim's mother, Phylis Porter.

The victim's older sister Danielle Porter had tears in her eyes.

"We're the only people that can give her 3-year-old daughter a memory of her mom. We're the only people that can be here, she can't be here because of that man. Because he wanted to make money for his kids, he took a mom away from her kid," she said.

Assistant Mahoning County Prosecutor, Martin Desmond wants this sentence to send a strong message that drugs continue to kill, and if you deal drugs in Mahoning County you'll be caught and forced to pay the price.

"This heroin epidemic, and it is an epidemic, hits every community; white, black, asian, male, female, rich, poor. It doesn't matter. You see it in the inner city, you see it in Canfield and Poland, New Springfield and Beaver Township," Desmond said.