HOLLIDAYSBURG — The city man implicated in the 2022 overdose death of 26-year-old Marlana Koehle had his single felony count of third-degree murder severed Thursday from his drug trafficking and related charges, setting the stage for two criminal jury trials later this year.

Rickey Sharief Joyner, 45, appeared alongside court-appointed defense attorney Matthew Joseph McGregor in Blair County court for a hearing to address various pre-trial motions.

One of the motions McGregor made was to separate Joyner’s felony third-degree murder charge from the others, which include single felony counts of corrupt organizations – employee, conspiracy to violate racketeering laws, dealing in unlawful proceeds, knowledge that property is the proceeds of unlawful acts, criminal use of a communication facility, three felony counts of conspiracy to commit possession with intent to deliver and 22 felony counts of possession with intent to deliver.

Blair County District Attorney Pete Weeks opposed the severance, telling presiding Senior Judge Michael A. George of Adams County it was the investigation into the overdose death that led to the grand jury investigation, Joyner’s apprehension and the involvement of the state Office of Attorney General.

He argued Caitlyn Pingatore, 32, would have to testify at both trials as she was allegedly the person who bought the illicit pills from Joyner and sold them to Koehle, leading to Koehle’s death.

“You would be hearing the same evidence in both cases,” Weeks said.

George ultimately agreed to sever the murder charge, saying the drug charges would be brought to trial first. Jury selection for that trial is scheduled for March 2, with the two-day trial set to begin on March 3.

George also addressed a habeas corpus petition filed by Joyner’s previous attorney Joseph Addink. The petition contested the felony third degree murder charge, saying Joyner’s actions lacked malice.

Weeks said malice could be established through circumstantial evidence, such as how Pingatore believed what Joyner had sold her was percocet when it was actually pure fentanyl.

McGregor told George he didn’t think Joyner’s being the alleged original supplier equated to malice.

George then gave McGregor until March 20 to submit a written brief arguing his position on the matter and Weeks until April 11 to respond.

When McGregor requested to have Joyner’s bail modified, George said they were two weeks away from trial so he was “not going to modify bail.”

Joyner has remained incarcerated at the Blair County Prison with bail denied since July 2025.

He was one of seven local residents taken into custody in June 2025 after a statewide grand jury investigation recommended criminal charges against them for running a suspected drug ring.

The drug trafficking investigation began after Altoona police received a call in November 2022 for a suspected drug overdose.

On scene, they found a woman, later identified as Koehle, who had died of a multi-drug overdose that included fentanyl and cocaine. Police searched the area and found half of a blue pill and white powder, which were later tested and confirmed to be fentanyl and cocaine, according to the report.

The forensic pathologist determined the concentration of fentanyl in Koehle’s body was sufficient to have caused her death. He said fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and 60 times more potent than oxycodone. He also indicated it isn’t surprising that an overdose occurs when an individual ingests what they believe to be oxycodone tablets, but in reality contains fentanyl.

Police and the pathologist noted Koehle lacked “track marks,” meaning she was not an intravenous drug user.

Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor-Musselman is at 814-946-7458.