Witness in trial of New Kensington man admits to buying drugs that killed his friend

A former Oklahoma Borough man told a Westmoreland County jury he knew he couldn’t stick around after he and another man left their unconscious friend across the front seats of his pickup parked in the New Kensington Taco Bell parking lot two years ago.

Keith Klingensmith testified he didn’t know John Charlton would soon die from an overdose of fentanyl-laced heroin when he fled to avoid a potential run-in with police.

“With all the commotion before that, I wanted to get out of there,” Klingensmith said during the second day in the drug delivery resulting in death trial of Adrian Morris, 23, of New Kensington.

Morris is charged with selling $120 of heroin to Klingensmith, who in turn gave two packets of heroin to Charlton on June 20, 2018.

Klingensmith, 44, testified Thursday during the second day of Morris’ trial that he, Charlton and two other men pooled $120 they earned from the sale of scrap metal and stolen merchandise to buy illicit drugs.

He told jurors he and another man drove with a young boy strapped into a car seat to an alley where they met Morris, who then sold him 22 packets of heroin containing the drugs police said Charlton took just before his death.

Klingensmith kept seven of the packets. He handed out the rest to his three friends, including Charlton, who immediately used his share then stood outside his truck talking to the other men, he said.

“You could tell he was getting high,” Klingensmith testified. “John said he needed help getting to his truck. He said he needed to rest a little bit, and we left.”

Like Morris, Klingensmith was charged with drug delivery resulting in death in connection with Charlton’s fatal overdose.

In response to questions from defense attorney Brian Aston, Klingensmith denied he was promised a plea bargain for a lighter sentence for testifying against Morris. He claimed he had no indication that his friend’s life was in jeopardy.

But Klingensmith, who at the time was on probation for theft convictions in Westmoreland and Armstrong counties, told jurors he was concerned he faced potential arrest and a return to jail had he remained with Charlton.

“When you backed up and left, it was at that point (Charlton’s) fate was settled, correct?” Aston asked.

“Yes, I guess,” Klingensmith responded.

Forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht testified Charlton died from an overdose caused by a mix of fentanyl and heroin. Traces of cocaine and methamphetamine found in Charlton’s body played no role in the death, he said.

“All of the other drugs would not have produced death had it not been for the fentanyl and heroin,” Wecht told jurors.

Jurors are expected to begin deliberations in the case on Friday.