Douglass man admits to role in fatal OD
NORRISTOWN >> A Douglass (Mont.) Township man admitted to his role in the fentanyl overdose death of another man whose body was later dropped off at Pottstown Hospital during an attempted cover-up of the incident. Ronald Lee Shock, 36, of the 100 block of Montgomery Avenue, showed no emotion as he pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court on Tuesday to charges of involuntary manslaughter and conspiracy to commit possession with intent to deliver fentanyl in connection with the May 7, 2020, overdose death of Ramon “Ray” Morales, 35, who was found deceased on the grass
outside of Pottstown Hospital Tower Health.
With the guilty plea, Shock admitted that he acted recklessly in causing Morale’s death by conspiring with Joshua Kyle Benner to supply the drugs and by failing to render aid when he knew Morales was overdosing and dying.
Benner, 28, of the 100 block of Hopewell Lane, Franconia Township, is awaiting trial on charges of drug delivery resulting in death, conspiracy, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and recklessly endangering another person.
Shock’s open plea means he has no deals with prosecutors regarding his potential sentence. Shock faces a possible maximum sentence of 17½ to 35 years in prison. However, sentencing guidelines could allow for a lesser sentence.
Testimony revealed Shock has agreed to testify at Benner’s trial if called upon to do so by prosecutors Lauren Marvel and Lindsay Mills.
Judge Thomas C. Branca is expected to sentence Shock after Benner’s case is concluded.
Shock, who is represented by defense lawyer John I. McMahon Jr., will remain in the county jail pending his sentencing hearing.
With the charges, detectives alleged the drugs were supplied by Benner and that Benner and Shock were negligent for not seeking immediate medical attention for Morales after Morales became unresponsive.
During the investigation, detectives found a “voice recorder” app installed on Benner’s cellphone and uncovered six recordings, some of which captured conversations between Benner and Shock on May 7 at the time Morales was overdosing from a combination of fentanyl and cocaine, according to court documents.
“In listening to the audio recording, Benner and Shock can be heard trying to decide what to do with Morales who was suffering from a drug overdose and not waking up,” Montgomery County Special Detective Andrew Rook and Pottstown Detective Brooke Hatfield alleged in a criminal complaint, adding Morales could be heard making noises typically “heard prior to death.”
The investigation began about 2:45 a.m. May 7 when Pottstown police responded to the hospital for a report of an unresponsive male found outside of the hospital, according to the arrest affidavit filed by Rook and Hatfield.
Hospital staff discovered the male, who had no identification and no cellphone, lying in a grassy area between the emergency room entrance and the parking lot, and the man’s clothing was “soaking wet” despite the fact it had not been raining, according to court papers. The man could not be revived, and he was pronounced dead.
The male was identified as Morales on May 9 after Douglass (Mont.) police received a call from a female friend who reported him missing. The woman reported Morales had been staying at Shock’s apartment and had not been seen since May 6, according to the arrest affidavit. Douglass police located Morales’ work van in the parking lot of the apartment complex.
A subsequent autopsy determined Morales died from a “combined drug intoxication” of fentanyl and cocaine.
During the investigation, detectives reviewed hospital video surveillance that showed a dark-colored Dodge Caliber vehicle registered to Benner in the hospital parking lot at 2:22 a.m. May 7, near the area where Morales’ body was found, according to court papers.
Court papers indicate that detectives subsequently located Benner’s vehicle parked in the parking lot outside Shock’s apartment, the same lot where Morales’ van was found.
Through multiple interviews, the cellphone audio recordings and cellphone data records, investigators determined Benner traveled with a female friend to the Kensington section of Philadelphia to buy cocaine and heroin/fentanyl May 6, according to the arrest affidavit. Later that evening, Benner allegedly sold some of the drugs to Shock and Morales, and they consumed the drugs about 11 p.m. at Shock’s residence.
From about 11:30 p.m. May 6 when Morales overdosed until 2:22 a.m. May 7 when Benner’s car was observed on hospital surveillance, the defendants did not call 911 or seek medical help, despite discussing the fact that Morales was overdosing, authorities alleged.
When detectives found the “voice recorder” app installed on Benner’s cellphone and listened to the recordings, Benner and Shock could be heard discussing placing Morales in the shower, and a shower was heard on one of the recordings, court papers alleged.
At 12:55 a.m., Benner allegedly told Shock that he “got to go trash all this (expletive)” and “got to get rid of it,” which detectives claimed is consistent with Benner trying to remove any evidence of drug use from Shock’s apartment – all prior to Morales being transported to the hospital.
The investigation also determined Benner’s cellphone, in the days after Morales overdosed, was used to conduct internet searches for information related to Morales’ death including searches for “overdose victim dropped in front of pottstown hospital may 2020” and “pottstown homicide,” according to court papers.
When he was interviewed by detectives, Shock claimed Morales was his “best friend” and that Morales “probably would have been alive if Shock and Benner had called 911,” according to the arrest affidavit.