Woman heading to state prison for man’s drug overdose death in Centre County
A Clearfield County woman was sentenced Tuesday to at least four years in state prison for supplying the drugs that led to a man’s fatal overdose in Centre County.
Shianna L. Lambert, 24, was sentenced by Centre County Judge Brian Marshall to a maximum of eight years in state prison. She received credit for about seven months served in the Centre County Correctional Facility.
Lambert was deemed eligible for the state drug treatment program. She was also sentenced to five years of probation.
“I’m really sorry about everything that happened,” Lambert said before her sentence was handed down.
A 26-year-old man who’s name was not included in a charging document died in April of a drug overdose in Spring Township. A report completed by Centre County Coroner Scott Sayers found the man overdosed on multiple forms of fentanyl and xylazine.
Fentanyl is an opioid painkiller many times more powerful than heroin, while xylazine is a powerful animal sedative that’s spreading through the nation’s illegal drug supply. The latter can cause breathing and heart rates to fall to dangerous levels when used in humans. When injected it can cause large open sores and infections, sometimes leading to amputation.
Lambert visited the man the day he died, his mother told police. When she returned from a trip to a convenience store, he was “hallucinating and talking about drug cartels,” police wrote.
“I don’t want to keep doing drugs,” the man told his mother before placing a bag of heroin or fentanyl on the counter, police wrote. He was 28 days sober when he died, his mother told police.
His brother also overdosed on drugs he purchased from Lambert, police wrote. He was revived with the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone.
Investigators searched three phones that were found inside the home. The one that belonged to Lambert was remotely deleted, police wrote.
Some messages were recovered, including one in which Lambert wrote she didn’t want to “catch a murder charge” because of the potency of the drugs, police wrote. She later admitted to giving the man fentanyl she bought in Philadelphia.
Lambert also said she regretted giving the man drugs and “hates herself for giving them to him,” police wrote.
“I am going to be charged for his murder,” police quoted Lambert telling her mother during a preliminary arraignment in April. “He asked me for drugs and I gave it to him like an idiot.”
She pleaded guilty in September to one felony count of drug delivery resulting in death and possession with intent to deliver, as well as one misdemeanor count of obstructing governmental operations.
Centre County Assistant District Attorney Joshua Andrews said the man’s family was “very supportive” of the agreement. Centre County First Assistant Public Defender Lora Rupert declined comment after the hearing.
The state drug treatment program is a two-year initiative. It begins with a minimum of seven months of incarceration followed by a minimum of two months in a substance-use inpatient treatment and a minimum of six months of outpatient treatment.
The remaining nine months would be spent participating in community reintegration activities. If completed successfully, the rest of her prison sentence would be deemed served. If she does not complete or is not completed into the program, she would serve the remainder of her sentence.
This story was originally published November 7, 2023 at 12:38 PM.