Two KDR bros. arrested in IU-PA drug death

[hoosier]

4 arrested in IUP student's death

Friday, April 29, 2005
By Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Police arrested four people yesterday on charges related to the February overdose death of a student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, including two of the dead man's fraternity brothers.

Michael McGoyne was found Feb. 15 dead in his bed in the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity house just off-campus on South Seventh Street in Indiana Borough. The cause of death was ruled a drug overdose. Toxicology tests showed he had both heroin and cocaine in his system.

Andrea Ann Rupert, 22, of Erie, and her boyfriend, Steven Benjamin Ripple, 24, of Ford City, are each charged with three counts of delivery of a controlled substance; possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia.

Rupert is a history major in her second year at IUP. Ripple, a political science major, is in his third year.

Also charged are Jessica Sue Robinson, 19, of Ligonier; and Ryan A. Wolff, 20, of Irwin. They are each charged with possession of a controlled substance. Robinson, who was a criminology major but left school earlier this semester, faces an additional charge of tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. Wolff is a criminology major.

According to the criminal complaint filed with District Judge Richard Orendorff, Rupert and Ripple drove from IUP to Wilmerding on Feb. 14 where they picked up a man named "Damien." They gave Damien $300 and drove him to a bar in Penn Hills, where he bought 15 stamp bags of heroin. The couple paid Damien with one of the bags and dropped him off before driving back to Indiana.

Once they returned to the fraternity house, police said, Rupert and Ripple divided the heroin between McGoyne, who got four bags, and Robinson and Wolff, who each got two. All five of them then did heroin in Wolff's room in the fraternity house, police said.

Wolff, who was the one who found McGoyne about 6 p.m. on Feb. 15, said his friend had been in his room until 2 or 3 a.m. that day, writing a paper on Wolff's computer. When he left, McGoyne went back to his own room, where he was found dead later that day.

While searching McGoyne's bedroom, police found two small, blue bags in a pair of jeans next to his bed. One of them was stamped with the letters "DOA."

Several witnesses said they saw Robinson run out of the fraternity house and get into her green Ford Mustang just before the police arrived.

After obtaining a search warrant for her car, police found a packet of heroin; rolled up Canadian currency used to ingest the heroin; and a metal screen, which police say is used to sift the heroin.

In addition to the criminal charges against them, Rupert, Ripple and Wolff also face possible disciplinary action through IUP's university judicial process, said school spokeswoman Michelle Fryling.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 4.