A Bristol man has been charged with selling morphine to a Kane woman, who died from the drug in February 2016.
Edward Samuel Valeri, 41, of 724 Fifth Ave., is charged with drug delivery resulting in death, a first-degree felony; delivery of a controlled substance, a felony; aggravated assault, a first-degree felony; involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree misdemeanor; and recklessly endangering another person, a second-degree misdemeanor.
The charges were filed by Cpl. Mary Gausman with Kane-based state police. The criminal complaint in the case alleged that at 1 p.m. Feb. 29, 2016, state police were notified of an unattended death of a 43-year-old female at a residence on Pond Road in Wetmore Township.
Gausman, Cpl. Lance Schimp and Trooper Cody Northcott responded to the scene, where they were met by Dawn Salter. She explained her daughter, Suzie Christina Witherell, was supposed to arrive at her home in Port Allegany. When she didn’t, Salter became concerned and went to her home, where she found her daughter deceased in her bed, the complaint read.
Salter called 911 and Witherell’s husband, Daniel. He spoke to Gausman that afternoon, saying his wife had a history of depression and abuse of prescription medication over the past several years. The couple had separated, but she had fallen and injured herself, and was hospitalized in Pittsburgh. On her release on Feb. 19, 2016, she moved back in with him, the complaint stated.
He told Gausman that his wife had appeared to be in good health and good spirits, and was not prescribed morphine at the time. Witherell noted that on Feb. 27, his wife began acting strangely. He said she would have tremors, her hands would shake, she would be disoriented at times and couldn’t remember what day it was. She also had trouble breathing, especially when she was sleeping, the criminal complaint stated.
Gausman and Schimp found her purse in her bedroom, and inside it was a Western Union receipt for $324, $300 of which was wired to Valeri. Through text messages and Facebook messages, police were able to track that Suzie Witherell contacted Valeri to ask him to sell her pills. She sent him money, and he sent her morphine pills, troopers alleged.
On March 1, an autopsy was conducted, and Suzie Witherell’s cause of death was determined to be morphine toxicity, the complaint stated.
On Nov. 22, 2016, troopers interviewed Valeri in Bristol. He said he met Suzie Witherell when he worked in Kane, and said he would often give or sell her pills because she complained of pain.
“Valeri admitted that Witherell sent him a couple hundred dollars via Western Union, and in return he sent Suzie five to eight morphine pills through the mail,” the complaint stated.
Valeri was arraigned Wednesday evening before District Judge David Engman and remanded to McKean County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in Central Court Dec. 7.
(Photo of Valeri courtesy of Kane Republican)
