Youngwood man to remain in jail until trial on drug delivery resulting in death charge

A Youngwood man will await trial in jail on a charge he provided a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin used by a woman whose body was found in a Greensburg apartment last summer.

In court Monday, Westmoreland County prosecutors said that, while on bail and house arrest in January, Matthew T. Caughey attempted to purchase clean urine to pass a drug test a week after he overdosed in his parent’s bathroom.

Caughey, 46, was charged in December with a felony count of drug delivery resulting in death after police said he and Julian V. Cancro, 37, of Greensburg purchased heroin from a dealer in Wilkinsburg, including doses police said led to the Aug. 30 overdose death of 48-year-old Darice R. Franke.

Police said Franke was found unresponsive on Cancro’s bathroom floor with two empty stamp bags of heroin and a hypodermic needle lying nearby.

Caughey was originally held in custody after being unable to post a $100,000 bond set at his preliminary hearing. About a week later, District Judge Chris Flanigan released Caughey on a $10,000 unsecured bond after he was placed on a pretrial services program that includes house arrest and a requirement he not use illegal drugs.

He was arrested and jailed Feb. 3 for an alleged violation of his bond.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani on Monday rejected a request for another chance for Caughey to stay out of jail.

“A person died here. You were given a unique opportunity to be in pretrial services. There’s no other assurance to keep the community safe,” Feliciani said in ordering Caughey be held in custody without bond until his trial.

Cancro, who also faces a single count of drug delivery resulting in death, remains free on an unsecured $10,000 bond.

The cases against Caughey and Cancro will be consolidated into one trial. A trial date has not been scheduled.