Two get prison for role in overdose death

October 7, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Mike Trell is in a prison of his own making.

As two men were sentenced Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court for supplying the drugs that killed his daughter, Erin Trell, 18, in 2013, Trell told Judge Maureen Sweeney that since his daughter’s death, his brain has been wracked by questions of what could have been.

He also blames himself for not protecting her.

“I lost my friend and daughter because I couldn’t protect her that night,” Trell said. “I’m condemned to a sentence I will live for the rest of my life.”

Sentenced to 41/2 years each in prison for their roles in the death of Erin Trell were Ruben Best, 22, of Will Anna Court Northwest, Warren, and Gary Hartman, 26, of Lockwood Boulevard, Boardman.

A third defendant, Marijo Mazon, 48, of Boardman, also pleaded guilty in the case and is expected to be sentenced Oct. 21. Prosecutors are calling for a sentence of two years for her.

Both men pleaded guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter. Hartman also entered guilty pleas to trafficking in marijuana and aggravated trafficking in drugs, while Best also entered pleas to charges of trafficking in cocaine and tampering with evidence.

Erin Trell died Sept. 30, 2013, in Boardman from a combination of marijuana, cocaine and Xanax.

Mike Trell said his daughter was not perfect but she was loved and cared for by so many in her family and her friends. He said people take for granted their children will always be there, and when they are not, it is hard to get used to.

“When life works in reverse, it is very hard,” Trell said.

Assistant Prosecutor Martin Desmond said that although the two certainly did not mean for Erin Trell to die, prison is necessary because of the seriousness of the crime and to deter others from similar conduct in the future.

“It [death] may not be intended, but a message needs to be sent that you are still partly responsible,” Desmond said.

Both men apologized to Mike Trell and his wife, who were in attendance.

“I never want to be a part of or associated with drug activity again,” Hartman said.

Best tried to save Erin Trell when she went to the hospital, said his lawyer, Ed Hartwig, although Mike Trell said he wondered why an ambulance was not called.

“He carried her into the ER. He sat with her. He knew his friend was dying,” Hartwig said.

“I am truly sorry,” Best told Erin Trell’s parents. “I did love Erin, and I cared for her as a person.”

The case was investigated by the Boardman Police Department and Deputy Mike Smith of the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.