Trial starts for New Kensington man accused of selling heroin that killed Natrona man
The lawyer for a New Kensington man charged in the sale of a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin attempted Wednesday to shift blame for the overdose that killed a Natrona man who was found a fast-food restaurant parking lot.
The man on trial for the death of John Charlton Jr. is Adrian Morris, 23, who is charged with drug delivery resulting in death and related charges.
But defense attorney Ken Noga, in his opening statement before a Westmoreland County jury, said Charlton’s three friends were most responsible for the death of their buddy when they left him alone and unconscious in his pickup June 18, 2018, after using drugs.
“It was selfishness,” Noga said. “They knew their friend was in distress, and they wanted to go. They knew he was in a bad way, and they decided to leave him there to die.”
Morris is accused of selling drugs to another man who, in turn, gave the tainted heroin to Charlton, 42, in the Taco Bell parking lot in New Kensington.
Assistant District Attorney Pete Caravello told jurors Charlton and his friends were drug addicts who woke up that morning sick with withdrawal symptoms. They pooled their money and bought drugs from Morris. Later, they took the illicit drugs in the parking lot.
That’s when Charlton showed signs of passing out, a sign, Caravello contends, his friends believed indicated the drugs had taken their desired effect but had not caused an overdose.
“They put John in the truck, and they leave,” Caravello told jurors. “John is not all right; he sits in that pickup truck, and he dies.”
Charlton’s three friends are expected to testify during the trial, and each was charged in connection with Charlton’s death.
Keith Klingensmith, 44, of Apollo was also charged with drug delivery resulting in death, as well as four other drug offenses. Todd Allen Sperl, 40, of Natrona and David John Ziegenhagen, 38, of Verona were charged with drug possession offenses.
The cases against Klingensmith, Sperl and Ziegenhagen are pending.
As a result, Noga said each of them have a reason to implicate Morris in Charlton’s death.
The trial before Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Scott Mears is expected to continue Thursday.
Rich Cholodofsky is a TribLive reporter covering Westmoreland County government, politics and courts. He can be reached at rcholodofsky@triblive.com.
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