A 60-year-old man from Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood is facing serious charges after prosecutors say he sold fentanyl that killed a Brentwood woman in 2024. Court documents identify the suspect as Marvin Washington and list drug delivery resulting in death among the counts. The victim, 33-year-old Hope Schneider, was taken to AHN Jefferson Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, according to the criminal complaint.
According to TribLIVE, the complaint states that Schneider contacted Washington in September 2024 looking for heroin, and that he replied, “for u, anything sunshine.” A witness reportedly picked Schneider up around 9 p.m., and at about 11:07 p.m. called 911 when she became unresponsive, the filing says. Paramedics took her to AHN Jefferson Hospital, where the Allegheny County medical examiner later ruled that she died from drug intoxication involving hydrocodone, fentanyl and parafentanyl. Investigators recovered an empty stamp bag labeled “Bart Simpson,” and lab testing allegedly showed the contents contained fentanyl, according to the documents.
Fentanyl’s Reach In Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports that of the 4,719 overdose deaths in 2023, 83% involved opioids and nearly 77% involved fentanyl, a combination that has reshaped the state’s overdose landscape. The Shapiro administration’s overdose-prevention program also notes more than 11,400 naloxone reversals in the same period, along with the distribution of hundreds of thousands of naloxone doses and fentanyl or xylazine test strips across Pennsylvania, highlighting the scale of the public health response as per Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Legal Implications
Washington is charged with drug delivery resulting in death and related offenses, according to the criminal complaint, a charge prosecutors have been turning to more frequently in fatal-overdose cases. In similar prosecutions, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General and local district attorneys have used cellphone records, stamped-bag evidence and lab analyses to connect alleged dealers to lethal doses, treating certain overdose deaths as criminal homicides in court PA Office of Attorney General.
The case remains under investigation and prosecutors will determine the next steps in court. For anyone struggling with substance use or trying to find naloxone and treatment options, the PA Get Help Now helpline is available at 1-800-662-HELP, and additional state resources are listed through the Governor's office.
