The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
City man charged in connection with overdose
TORRINGTON >> A city man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a Winsted woman’s fatal overdose last year.
Zachary Campanelli, 21, of Adelaide Terrace, was charged with illegal distribution of narcotics on a warrant, police said.
The charges stem from an incident on Dec. 4, 2016, when Winchester police were dispatched to a local home on a report of an unconscious 18-year-old woman.
When police arrived, the woman’s father was performing CPR on his daughter. He told police his daughter was recently released from a heroin rehabilitation center. Drugs residue and paraphernalia were seen in her room, police said.
An officer administered the overdose reversal drug Narcan and emergency personnel continued life saving measures, but the woman was pronounced dead upon arrival at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, ac-
cording to the arrest warrant affidavit.
Winchester police called in assistance from Connecticut State Police to investigate the death.
The victim’s father told police he saw text messages between his daughter and Campanelli indicating his daughter was going to buy heroin from Campanelli. He also said he saw Campanelli arrive at his house that afternoon and said his daughter was in Campanelli’s car, according to the affidavit.
Campanelli gave a statement to Torrington Police that he was friends with the victim. He also admitted to buying heroin from a dealer for several months, according to police.
Campanelli said on the day of her death, the victim contacted him and other people, desperate to buy heroin, according to the affidavit. He said he sold her two bags and left, thinking if he didn’t do it, she would have gotten the heroin from someone else, according to the affidavit. An examination of the victim’s cellphone revealed she had texted several people including Campanelli, looking to buy heroin, police said.
Multiple text messages corroborate Campanelli’s statement and show the woman did buy heroin from him, police said.
The medical examiner ruled her death acute intoxication due to the combined effects of hydrpxyzine, fentanyl and morphine. The death was ruled accidental. Police said additional arrests are expected in connection to the case.
Campanelli was held in lieu of $100,000 bail and issued a court date of May 24 in Bantam.