Investigators believe drugs smuggled into a state prison in Fayette County contributed to the death of an inmate there who was serving a life sentence for killing a county fair queen in 2004.
Joseph Gacha, 42, was pronounced dead at SCI Fayette in La Belle at 9:39 p.m. Dec. 30 after fighting with his cellmate and prison guards, according to state police Trooper Jason Zanolli, who is investigating the death.
“More than likely, he was on some type of illicit drug that caused him to fight with his cellmate and then he had to be forcibly restrained by guards when he died. But, at this time, we don’t know what (drug) he specifically took and we’re awaiting toxicology results,” Zanolli said.
Zanolli said the tests — part of Fayette County Coroner Phillip E. Reilly’s autopsy report — could take up to three months to complete.
Gacha and an alleged accomplice, Daniel Joseph Kukucka, 25, of Edwardsville, were charged with murdering 20-year-old Carrie Martin, who was stabbed nearly 50 times during a robbery in her Larksville apartment on May 28, 2004, according to the Associated Press.
At the time, Martin was the reigning Luzerne County Fair queen.
Before making it to trial, Kukucka hanged himself in a cell at the Luzerne County Prison in July 2004, reports said. Gacha was convicted of first-degree murder, and the jury chose a life sentence over death.
State corrections officials deferred comment on Gacha’s death to state police.
However, SCI-Fayette Superintendent Mark Capozza disclosed in the release that emergency medical technicians from Brownsville Ambulance Services were on the scene when Gacha was pronounced dead. Zanolli said Gacha died in the prison infirmary as he continued to struggle, police said.
The department of corrections also reported Gacha had been housed at SCI-Fayette since December 26, 2018.
In the fall of 2018, after numerous inmate overdoses at state prisons, officials instituted changes to mail and visiting policies. The changes also were intended to address a number of incidents that caused dozens of corrections officers and other employees to seek medical help for suspected exposure to the powerful synthetic marijuana, K2.
Zanolli said investigators are looking into whether K2, which can sometimes cause users to become violent, was the substance involved.
“But, again, we won’t know until the toxicology comes back,” Zanolli said.
He said the incident in the cell was captured on video.
“Our investigation is also looking into how the drugs may have entered the prison,” Zanolli added.
