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| Mass. Officer Linked to Inmate's Overdose |
| By Boston Globe |
| Published: 10/04/2002 |
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A corrections officer charged with providing heroin to an inmate who then died of an overdose frantically tried to cover up her role in the man's death by cajoling another inmate to don gloves and search the man's body for drugs, according to a law enforcement source. Christine Callahan hoped the death of Anthony Marchetti, 34, would pass unnoticed until after her shift at Norfolk County House of Correction ended on the morning of May 7, said the source, who is a corrections official. Callahan also hoped the absence of drugs - the inmate allegedly removed one bag of heroin from Marchetti's body - would lead authorities to conclude that Marchetti died of natural causes, the source said yesterday. Yesterday, Callahan, 32, wore handcuffs and leg irons in Norfolk Superior Court and pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from Marchetti's death, including manslaughter, trafficking heroin, and smuggling drugs into a prison. Marchetti, who weighed in excess of 300 pounds, was discovered ''unresponsive'' in his cell just before 7 a.m. on May 7. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined he died of an opiate overdose. A grand jury investigation directed by Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating's office quickly focused on Callahan because she was the only officer working in the prison pod at the time. Marchetti was serving a 21/2-year sentence for heroin trafficking and was scheduled for release in spring 2003, Bellotti said. According to law enforcement officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Callahan was prescribed OxyContin, a powerful but addictive pain reliever, after fracturing a bone in a fall a few years ago. Callahan allegedly agreed to smuggle drugs into prison for Marchetti in return for a drug supply of her own and some cash, one corrections official said. It was unclear yesterday whether those drugs included OxyContin. Keating said a relative of Marchetti's would pay for heroin meant for the inmate, and Callahan would pick up the drug and take it into the prison. However, no one else will be charged in the case unless new evidence surfaces, Keating said. Defense lawyer Robert Jubinville said Callahan denies being the source of the heroin and has no idea how Marchetti obtained it. ''She adamantly indicated to me that she did not bring any drugs into the institution,'' Jubinville said. |
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