N. Toledo man guilty in fatal drug injection

4/3/2001

A North Toledo man whose girlfriend died after he injected her with cocaine was found guilty yesterday in Lucas County Common Pleas Court of charges associated with her death.

Frederick A. Roe, 43, of 5533 Bennett Rd., was found guilty by Judge Charles Doneghy after entering no contest pleas to reckless homicide and possession of cocaine.

Roe initially had been charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the charge was dropped in exchange for his plea to reckless homicide, a lesser charge.

Mike Loisel, an assistant county prosecutor, said Roe bought one-eighth of an ounce of cocaine Jan. 10 for himself and his girlfriend, Darlene Schamp, 38, to use. Mr. Loisel said Ms. Schamp died after Roe, with his girlfriend's consent, injected her with the drug.

“That evening, he injected Ms. Schamp three to five times,” the prosecutor told the judge. “The last time he injected her, she went into convulsions and subsequently died due to the high toxicity of the cocaine in her blood.”

Ms. Schamp, who had 8 and 12-year-old daughters and worked in a supermarket delicatessen, was found dead in her home the next day.

Roe, who called police to report the incident, was found in his home with what they termed “self-inflicted stab wounds” to his neck. He was treated at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center. He later told police what had happened to Ms. Schamp. Roe could receive six years in prison when he is sentenced April 23.