Prosecutor says texts from alleged drug dealers show they knew heroin that caused fatal Westfield overdose was very strong

UPDATE – 4:30 p.m. – Jurors will resume deliberations Wednesday morning.

SPRINGFIELD — Hampden Superior Court jurors began deliberations at about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the manslaughter case against two Westfield residents in connection with the overdose death of 31-year-old Rebekah Swotchak in Westfield on Feb. 10, 2016.

Daryn M. Sampson, 35, and Gilka Rolon-Arroyo, 24, are on trial for involuntary manslaughter. They are charged in a joint venture case with supplying the heroin, which contained fentanyl, that resulted in Swotchak’s death in her Westfield apartment.

They are also charged with distribution of heroin and fentanyl and possession of heroin and fentanyl with intent to distribute.

Lawyers Jared Olanoff, for Rolon-Arroyo, and Andrew Klyman, for Sampson, told jurors in their closing arguments there was no proof their clients provided the heroin resulting in the fatal overdose.

But both lawyers put the blame on the other co-defendant.

Klyman told jurors they can find his client Sampson guilty of possession of the drugs, but not of selling them or intending to sell them.

“He’s a user. He’s an addict,” Klyman said of Sampson.

Klyman argued an empty bag found on Swotchak’s bed was the source of the fatal overdose. That bag could have contained heroin that came from someone else other than Sampson or Rolon-Arroyo, he said.

Texts between Westfield manslaughter defendants and woman who fatally overdosed presented at trial

Olanoff said all the text messages presented at trial showed Swotchak bought her heroin from Sampson. He said even if Sampson got his heroin from Rolon-Arroyo, she didn’t know he was selling it to Swochak.

He showed jurors on a screen seven texts between Sampson and Swotchak discussing Sampson selling heroin to Swotchak.

Olanoff said he expects the jury to find Rolon-Arroyo guilty of two charges — possession of heroin with intent to distribute and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. But she is not guilty of distributing the drugs or of manslaughter, he said.

“The evidence shows that she didn’t do those things,” he said.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Schmidt told jurors, “Everything is not nearly as complicated as defense counsel would have you believe.”

He said Sampson sold heroin to Swotchak and Sampson got that heroin from Rolon-Arroyo. “This was a joint enterprise,” he said.

Schmidt went over texts that showed both defendants knew the heroin, labeled Buggatti, was extremely strong.

“These defendants knew what they were selling and they knew how dangerous it was,” he said.

Schmidt said Rolon-Arroyo texted a number of customers to tell them she had heroin that was “fire.”

In a text from Sampson to Swotchak, he told her to only use half a bag of the heroin he was going to sell her because it was so strong, Schmidt said.

After the closing arguments, Judge J. Gavin Reardon Jr. instructed the jury on the law they must apply in their decision.