An Escambia County inmate is on trial for murder after allegedly giving a lethal amount of fentanyl to her cell mate, 52-year-old Shirley Barney, and watching her slowly die from an overdose.
Pamela Schwarz, 40, was indicted for first-degree murder by unlawful distribution of drugs for allegedly giving Barney fatal amounts of fentanyl and failing to alert deputies of her overdose while the two were bunk mates at the Escambia County Jail in 2022.
Assistant State Attorney Amy Shea told the jury Monday that Schwarz smuggled in an unknown amount of fentanyl while she was booked at the jail, allegedly sneaking it past guards in an inconspicuous location.
“What you’ll see in the video, is she’s in the cell for mere minutes before she goes to the toilet and takes something out of her vagina, which looks like a little white ball or what could be some powder substance in a plastic bag,” Shea told the jury. “At various points of the video, you’ll see her handle this object, manipulate the object and then shortly after that you’ll see Ms. Barney had ingested this substance and then she will pass out.”
According to a medical examiner’s autopsy report of Barney discussed in a law enforcement report, a toxicology analysis of barney’s blood revealed she had 17 nanograms of fentanyl per milliliter of blood and 0.93 nanograms of parafluorofentanyl per milliliter of blood.
The report also indicates that as little as 3 nanograms per milliliter can be fatal, making Barney’s fentanyl blood levels nearly six times higher than what is deemed lethal.
However, Schwarz’s attorney Randall Richardson says his client could not have smuggled fentanyl into the Escambia County Jail since multiple searches came back negative for any contraband inmates are not allowed to possess.
“Thorough examinations such as X-rays and body cavity searches, as you will see, were conducted prior and following the incident,” he told the jury. “These searches consistently revealed that no drugs were present, owned or within Pamela at any time.
“This absence of physical evidence is not merely a minor detail but is a critical element that undermines the prosecution’s narrative,” he added.
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In Schwarz’s arrest report, the investigator assigned to her case says he observed camera footage of the cell and saw the defendant “transferring substances from her vagina to her sock, to her bunk and later back to her vagina” while Barney was overdosing on fentanyl.
The report also says Schwarz “appears to utilize the toilet to flush the substance.”
Schwarz’s murder charge is a capital felony under Florida law, and if she is convicted faces a mandatory minimum of life in prison. She’s additionally indicted on smuggling contraband into a detention facility and tampering with evidence, both third-degree felonies punishable up to five years in state prison per count.
Thursday morning before the trial began, Shea dismissed Schwarz’s fourth charge of possessing a controlled substance without a prescription.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola woman Pamela Schwarz stands trial in Shirley Barney overdose