Export co-worker on trial for sale of drugs in fatal overdose
Dec. 8—Dina Alexander knew something wasn't right when she drove by the Murrysville restaurant where her son had worked for the last 11 years and didn't see his car parked out front.
So when he didn't return her calls she drove over to his Export apartment and found his car parked outside. No one responded when she knocked, so she broke a window to unlock the front door. She sprinted upstairs to find her 28-year-old son Robert face down on a mattress. A needle was in his hand.
"I flipped him over, he was so heavy. He was very stiff and cold and he had fluids coming out of his nose and mouth," Alexander testified Tuesday in the first day in the trial of an Export co-worker accused of selling her son the drugs he used before he overdosed in December 2018.
Alexander said she called 911 and had to run outside to get the street address of her son's apartment then returned to his side and attempted to resuscitate him as she waited for help to arrive. Robert Alexander was declared dead at the scene on Dec. 14, 2018.
Police contend Kelly Ryan Frank, 54, of Export, a day earlier purchased a mix of heroin and fentanyl and sold two bags for $40 to Alexander. Frank is charged with charges of drug possession and one count of drug delivery resulting in death.
Dina Alexander told jurors she had dinner with her son the night before his death and that she never suspected anything was amiss when they parted company.
"He took a selfie of me and him at the bar, he was very talkative. We said goodbye and he gave me a hug and went home," she testified.
Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck, who lost in the November election and is likely participating in his last trial as the county's top prosecutor, told jurors in his opening statement that evidence of the drug deal between Frank and Alexander was found on the victim's cell phone. Alexander asked to purchase drugs and Frank responded that he can buy two bags but cautioned the heroin would be "strong."
"The defendant readily admits he sent him that text," Peck told jurors. He later added, "The evidence will show the defendant in this case, Kelly Frank, committed the crimes."
Frank, according to Peck, claimed he drove to Pitcairn, bought the drugs and sold two stamp bags labeled "Mobile 1" to Alexander. Stamp bags with those markings were located near Alexander's body.
Assistant Public Defender James Spriestersbach asked jurors to keep an open mind. During his opening statement, he did not offer an explanation for Frank's role in Alexander overdose.
"I can't tell you what the defense is right now because we've heard no evidence," Spriestersbach said.
The trial resumes Wednesday.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293, rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .
