PITTSTON — Police detectives in Pittston City charged Cassie Nicole Zambetti, also known as Cassie Stanton, with delivering fentanyl that resulted in the overdose death of Martina Wheeler in 2023, according to court records.
Wheeler, 42, was found deceased inside her Pine Street, Pittston, residence on Sept. 6, 2023.
As police were at the scene, they found evidence of drug usage including empty packets stamped, “Kiss Me,” and “Call of Duty.”
An autopsy revealed Wheeler died from fentanyl toxicity, court records say.
Detectives had Wheeler’s cellular phone forensically analyzed that returned a series of text messages between Zambetti and Wheeler on Sept. 5, 2023.
Messages between the two women involved Zambetti complaining about being broke and asking Wheeler to transfer cash to her to pay her dealer, court records say.
Video surveillance in the area of Pine Street showed a white Ford Taurus briefly stopping at Wheeler’s residence the night of Sept. 5, 2023.
A few days after Wheeler’s death, detectives interviewed Zambetti who showed up at the Pittston City Police Department in a white Ford Taurus, court records say.
During the interview, court records allege, Zambetti admitted she had been friends with Wheeler as their relationship involved the use of heroin.
Zambetti allegedly told detectives their use of heroin stopped when their dealer got arrested but became dependent on other controlled substances, such as Suboxone, Percocet and marijuana. Zambetti claimed she last saw Wheeler about a week before Wheeler died, court records say.
Detectives in court records say Zambetti admitted during the interview she had delivered controlled substances to Wheeler shortly before Wheeler died and had deleted communications on her cellular phone.
Court records say Zambetti, of Lawrence Street, Wilkes-Barre, is facing retail theft offenses, including by Larksville police for allegedly stealing items from Sheetz on East Main Street on Aug. 4.
Zambetti is facing charges of drug delivery resulting in death, involuntary manslaughter, possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and criminal use of communication facility. The charges were filed Wednesday with District Judge Alexandra Kokura Kravitz in Pittston.
