Unity man seeks dismissal of charges in Latrobe woman's fatal overdose

The lawyer for a Unity man charged with selling drugs to a Latrobe woman who died from an overdose in 2019 asked a Westmoreland County judge to dismiss the case for lack of evidence.

Defense attorney Tim Miller said prosecutors do not have enough evidence to support the charge of drug delivery resulting in death and two related offenses in connection with the fatal overdose of 40-year-old Rebecca Campbell, whose body was found by a boyfriend in the bathroom of her Latrobe home nearly three years ago.

“There is evidence introduced that there was some amount of heroin sold, but according to the (autopsy) report, there was no traces of heroin found in her body,” Miller said.

Prosecutors claim Chad E. Ghrist, 44, provided Campbell with the drugs.

Latrobe police Sgt. Michael Wigand testified during a hearing Tuesday that Ghrist’s DNA was found on empty stamp bags of drugs found with Campbell’s body. Her phone records revealed that Ghrist was the last person she spoke with before her death, Wigand said, and Ghrist confessed to providing her the drugs during an interview with police.

Ghrist, who was known to Latrobe police as a suspected drug dealer, told investigators he sold Campbell two stamp bags of heroin the day before her August 2019 death, Wigand testified.

Wigand said a toxicology report that was part of Campbell’s autopsy indicated that she died from an overdose of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine.

Common Pleas Judge Tim Krieger said evidence produced Tuesday by prosecutors will likely be sufficient to allow the case to go to trial, but the prosecution still may be in jeopardy.

The defense said the prosecution’s effort to introduce Campbell’s autopsy as evidence during the hearing through Wigand and without testimony from a forensic pathologist was not permitted by law. Krieger said that if he determines the defense’s assertion is correct, charges against Ghrist will be dismissed.

Assistant District Attorney Leo Ciaramitaro said previous courts have allowed autopsy reports to be presented as evidence in pretrial proceedings and that a dismissal based on a technical issue will only delay the case against Ghrist.

“We will immediately refile the charges,” Ciaramitaro said.

Ghrist also is awaiting trial on charges in two unrelated drug cases in Westmoreland County.

He pleaded guilty to drug counts last year in Indiana County and was sentenced to serve three to eight years in prison, according to court records.