Aug 10, 2024 By Jon Andreassi 4 min read

Matthew Rozanc

Though a district judge found the defense’s arguments “compelling,” a Chartiers Township man will head to trial on charges he provided another man with a lethal dose of fentanyl in April.

Matthew Logan Rozanc, 20, appeared before Judge Michael Manfredi Friday morning at the Washington County Courthouse for his preliminary hearing on multiple felonies, including drug delivery resulting in death.

Rozanc is accused of selling Joshua Kinser counterfeit pain medication, which police said Kisner believed to be oxycodone, on April 21 at Kisner’s home in the 700 block of Ridge Avenue, Chartiers Township.

Chartiers police officer Amanda Brewer testified at Friday’s hearing that through text messages Rozanc had previously told Kinser about “super blues.” The day Rozanc went to Kinser’s home, Kinser had asked about buying “blues,” according to Brewer. Brewer testified that “blues” are typically counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.

Wendy Lynne Williams, a Pittsburgh attorney representing Rozanc, pointed to the fact that when Kisner asked about “blues” on April 21, Rozanc did not acknowledge the question and only sent messages about smoking marijuana.

Jolene Bierly, a forensic toxicologist with NMS labs, testified via phone that fentanyl was not the only substance in Kisner’s system at the time. He also tested positive for gabapentin and trazodone.

According to Bierly, it would be a rare occurrence for someone to overdose only on gabapentin, which is used to treat seizures and nerve pain, but combined with fentanyl it could possibly be deadly. Bierly also could not rule out whether trazodone, a sedative and antidepressant, played a role in Kisner’s death.

“The combination of all three was bad,” Bierly testified.

Assistant District Attorney Aaron Gallogly called Donald Kisner, the victim’s uncle, to testify. Donald Kisner found Joshua Kisner on April 24 in the recreational vehicle on his property and called 911.

“He was like a son to me,” Donald Kisner said.

Kisner testified that his nephew had been living in Tennessee before moving to Washington County. He described Joshua Kisner as struggling with drug addiction.

Joshua Kisner moved to the area in early December, and chose to live in the RV on his uncle’s property rather than in the house.

During his testimony, Donald Kisner said he provided his nephew with gabapentin around mid-March. At the time, his nephew was dealing with an abscessed tooth.

“I gave him a gabapentin and an ibuprofen,” Donald Kisner said.

Security footage from the property provided by the Kisner family showed Rozanc arriving on April 21 and leaving a short time later.

Williams questioned Brewer over how the scene was handled after Kisner’s body was discovered.

Brewer testified that they did not thoroughly search the RV. After police left, a relative found drugs in a bedroom cabinet that officers had not inspected.

Williams also wondered if the bathroom had been fully searched.

“I looked in the bathroom. I didn’t turn it upside down,” Brewer said.

Rozanc also faces two felony charges of possession with intent to deliver and criminal use of a communication facility. Williams asked Manfredi to drop the drug delivery resulting in death charge.

“Obviously, this is a tragedy,” Williams said.

She argued that Kisner ultimately “died by his own hand” by ingesting multiple substances, and that it could not be attributed solely to fentanyl. Williams also pointed to the potential that police missed evidence concerning Kisner’s drug use in failing to do a complete search of the RV.

While Manfredi said he found Williams’ argument to be “compelling,” he also felt it was a question for the Washington County Court of Common Pleas to answer, and that the district attorney’s office had met the standard of evidence for a preliminary hearing.

Rozanc is incarcerated in the Washington County jail on $350,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear for formal arraignment at 1 p.m. Sept. 26.