The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office and the Falls Township Police Department have filed criminal charges against a 38-year-old woman in connection with the overdose death of her roommate.
Christina Gallo, of the Morrisville section of Falls Township was arraigned by District Judge John Galloway on Tuesday on charges of death by drug delivery, drug distribution, misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter and related offenses.
Gallo was remanded to the custody of Bucks County Correctional after Galloway set bail at 10 percent of $250,000.00.
According to investigators, Gallo not only supplied the lethal drugs that killed 34-year-old Mary Wells but also systematically stole the victim’s money and attempted to frame others for the crime.
On Jan. 2, 2025, Wells was found unresponsive at the residence she shared with Gallo at 4352 Dover Drive in the Pennwood Crossing trailer park. She was later pronounced dead at Jefferson-Bucks Hospital, said investigators in the probable cause.
An autopsy and toxicology report revealed Wells died from a lethal combination of fentanyl, xylazine (Tranq), methamphetamine, methadone, and para-fluorofentanyl. Investigators recovered straws and blue wax bags at the scene. Laboratory testing by NMS Labs confirmed that the bags contained a potent mixture of fentanyl, xylazine, and para-fluorofentanyl, the same substances found in the victim’s blood, detectives wrote in the probable cause.
Investigators discovered that Wells was a daily fentanyl user who had been too ill to leave her home in the days leading up to her death. Cell site data and text messages confirmed that Wells remained at the Dover Drive residence from Dec. 31, 2024, until her death.
The “comprehensive” investigation identified Gallo as the primary source of the drugs, alleging she regularly drove to the Kensington to purchase fentanyl for Wells. According to text messages recovered by investigators from Dec. 22, 2024, which showed both women expressing excitement at being able to purchase a particular brand of fentanyl, a potent mixture highly sought after by users.
Gallo made the final delivery of that brand of fentanyl to Wells on Jan. 1, 2025, approximately 16 hours before her death. While Gallo initially attempted to shift blame to other individuals, investigators used digital evidence and interviews to disprove her claims and confirm her role as the final distributor.
The investigation, according to the criminal complaint further revealed a pattern of financial exploitation following the victim’s death. Police found that Gallo allegedly used Wells’ EBT and debit cards to make multiple fraudulent purchases and withdrawals.
The victim’s family, including her daughter, informed investigators that these stolen funds could have been used to provide Wells with a proper funeral. Instead, the family lacked the resources for a service while Gallo allegedly exhausted the victim’s accounts for her own use, detectives said in court records.
“The details of this case are as heartbreaking as they are infuriating,” said Bucks County District Attorney Joe Khan. “Not only did the defendant deliver the very poison that ended the victim’s life, but she then chose to further victimize the family by systematically draining the victim’s financial accounts in the days following her death.”
Falls Township Police Chief Nelson Whitney emphasized that the charges are the result of a seamless partnership between local and county investigators.
“People who struggle with substance use disorder deserve our compassion and help, but those who take advantage of their suffering deserve swift justice and punishment,” Whitney said. “This case is a tragedy for the Wells family, and my heart goes out to them and so many other families who know the pain that comes with having a loved one immersed in substance use.”
“This case is also an important example of the dedication of the professional investigators involved and the high level of coordination between the Falls Township Police Department and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office,” Whitney continued. “Together, we are committed to making the community safer and to holding all those who seek to imperil that safety accountable under the law.”
A co-defendant, identified as John “Twitch” Lindsay, 44, of Bensalem, is also alleged to have delivered doses of methamphetamine to the victim during the same period. He was charged Tuesday with two counts of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and was sent to BCCF on $50,000 bail.
The charges against Christina Gallo follow a joint investigation by Bucks County Detective Jarrod Eisenhauer and Falls Township Detective John Vella. This case is assigned for prosecution to Deputy District Attorney Chad Kovack.
Gallo is due back in court on March 25 for a preliminary hearing and has no attorney of record listed according to online court records. Gallo was also charged by Falls Twp Police in what appears to be a separate incident with misdemeanor drug offenses dating back to last month.
Recent Comments