Peters man headed to trial for overdose death of girlfriend
A Peters Township man will head to trial on charges he provided his pregnant girlfriend with the drugs that killed her after he waived his right to a preliminary hearing.
Ronald Alexander Massari Jr., 28, appeared before District Judge Jesse Pettit at Washington County Courthouse Thursday morning for his scheduled hearing. Vanesa Jeric, his girlfriend, died June 18 after overdosing two days prior from a combination of heroin and fentanyl.
She was in the first trimester of pregnancy.
Massari faces charges of drug delivery resulting in death, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia.
He will await trial in Washington County jail as he was denied bail.
Charles LoPresti, Massari’s attorney, said he is unlikely to seek any sort of bail modification.
LoPresti said they elected to waive the hearing, as he believes Pettit would have ultimately held the charges for court.
“There was no sense in antagonizing the family of the deceased,” LoPresti said.
Massari is scheduled to be arraigned at 1 p.m. Dec. 5 before Judge Valarie Costanzo.
LoPresti described his client as, “remorseful, regretful and sad.”
“The girl who passed away was a person he cared deeply for,” LoPresti said.