3 plead guilty in connection to heroin death of Sheraden woman in Bethel Park

Three people have struck plea deals in connection to a Pittsburgh woman’s fatal heroin overdose at a Bethel Park house in 2017, prosecutors said.

Debra Lee Taylor, 41, of Carnegie pleaded guilty Thursday to drug delivery resulting in the death of Shannon J. “Sissy” Fashian for supplying the heroin that killed the 28-year-old woman from the city’s Sheraden neighborhood.

In exchange for Taylor’s guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to a sentence of 23 to 46 months in prison followed by eight years of probation, Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Mike Manko said.

Taylor, who already has served about 30 months in prison, “is expected to be paroled,” Manko said.

Two co-defendants pleaded guilty to lesser charges.

Taylor’s boyfriend, Glen Perella, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal communication.

Fashian died at Perella’s Bethel Park home after using heroin that Perella bought and shared with her, a criminal complaint said.

Perella was sentenced to 11 ½ to 23 months in prison followed by five years of probation. The judge gave permission for Perella to spend part of his sentence on house arrest, Manko said.

Latasha Walker — a Carnegie woman who was in a car with Taylor during the sale of the heroin — pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance, conspiracy and other drug charges and was sentenced to probation.

Controlled drug buy nabs suppliers

On the afternoon of Nov. 2, 2016, Perella made plans to buy heroin from a supplier he knew as “Peaches” at a Burger King on Route 88 in Bethel Park, the criminal complaint said.

Perella parked his car next to Peaches, later identified by Perella and police to be Debra Taylor.

Taylor, seated in her vehicle‘s driver’s seat, passed six packets of heroin to Walker in the front passenger seat, and Walker handed the drugs to Perella through his car’s window, the complaint said.

Perella brought the heroin to his house on Brady Place and shared some with Fashian.

Fashian then went into a bathroom to use it, Perella told police.

When Fashian came out, she collapsed.

Perella called 911 and “attempted to render aid to no avail,” the complaint said.

By the time emergency responders arrived, Fashian was lying on her side in a hallway. Her face was blue and she was not breathing. Medics tried performing CPR and giving other aid, but Fashian was pronounced dead at the house.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said that Fashian died of a combined drug poisoning of heroin, fentanyl, diphenhydramine and ethanol.

The next day, officials oversaw a controlled drug buy between Perella and Taylor at Perella’s house that resulted in the seizure of 130 packets labeled “COBRA” in black ink — the same marking police found on the packet of heroin that led to Fashian’s death, the complaint said.

Taylor also pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance and criminal communication.

All three defendants entered their guilty pleas on Thursday before Allegheny County Judge Kevin Sasinoski, Manko said.