Lawyer gets probation in cover-up of overdose
A Pittsburgh defense attorney who pleaded guilty to covering up an overdose death will serve five years of probation, including two months on house arrest.
Kevin Abramovitz, 38, pleaded guilty in January to reckless endangerment, obstruction, hindering apprehension and tampering with evidence before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Jeffrey A. Manning.
As part of his plea agreement, he was sent to a 90-day inpatient rehabilitation facility and completed its program April 23, defense attorney Komron Jon Maknoon said.
Mr. Abramovitz and his girlfriend, Danielle Smith, received a phone call June 24, 2017, saying that Randall Barksdale, who had been staying in Mr. Abramovitz’s vacant apartment in Squirrel Hill, had overdosed. The witness said the couple arrived 10 minutes later.
Mr. Abramovitz left to get Narcan, a drug that can reverse an opioid overdose, and returned in 10 minutes.
The Narcan did not work, and the witness asked Mr. Abramovitz and Ms. Smith to call 911. They refused, not wanting police to come to the apartment.
Instead, Mr. Abramovitz made arrangements for someone to drive Mr. Barksdale to the hospital.
However, the driver became upset, police said, and pushed Mr. Barksdale’s body out of the car into an alley.
Mr. Abramovitz called 911 anonymously, and the victim was found wrapped in a comforter behind a house on Fair Oaks Street.
Assistant District Attorney Mike Ball told Judge Manning on Monday that Mr. Barksdale had a long history of drug addiction, calling it “a constant battle.
“A 911 call would have given him a better chance at surviving, a better chance at beating this addiction,” Mr. Ball said.
As the criminal case played out, Mr. Abramovitz tested positive for several substances, and the prosecution made rehab part of his plea agreement.
After completing his inpatient treatment, Mr. Maknoon said, Mr. Abramovitz is enrolled in an intensive outpatient program. “He attends meetings every day,” his attorney said. “He is working the 12 steps.”
Mr. Abramovitz, who voluntarily surrendered his law license, thanked the court and prosecution for allowing him to go to rehab. “It was a life-changing experience,” he said.
The case is pending against Ms. Smith, who is charged with the same counts as Mr. Abramovitz, plus theft and conspiracy.