Couple arrested on ‘death by distribution’ felony charges in man’s death
By Brittany Whitehead
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GRAHAM COUNTY, North Carolina (WLOS) — Several months of extensive investigation into the March 25 death of a 30-year-old man near Robbinsville led to the arrest of a Graham County couple who are now awaiting trial.
Bobby Huel Pastell, 28, and his wife, Danielle “Nikki” Nichole Pastell, 36, residents of Graham County, were arrested June 30 and July 1, respectively, on warrants of “Death by Distribution” in the man’s death. The family of the deceased man requested his name be withheld.
These are the first arrests of this kind in Graham County, officials said.
On March 25, Graham County EMS and Graham County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a residence outside Robbinsville in response to a 911 call of an individual not breathing and possibly deceased. Upon arrival, officers discovered a deceased 30-year-old male. Officers and detectives also observed items consistent with illegal drug use.
Graham County detectives conferred with the District Attorney’s office after months of investigation, awaiting final results of an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death and SBI Crime Lab results from evidence collected from the victim’s bedroom.
On June 29, they presented their case to a local magistrate who found probable cause and granted their request for the issuance of a “Death by Distribution” warrants for Bobby (AKA “Little Bobby”) Huel Pastell, age 28, and his wife, Danielle (AKA “Nikki”) Nichole Pastell, age 36, both residents of Graham County.
On June 30, Bobby Pastell was located and arrested in Swain County. Nikki Pastell was located and arrested the following day, July 1, at her residence in Graham County.
They are currently under a $150,000 bond each and awaiting trial.
In North Carolina, it is a felony to sell opioids, cocaine and meth to someone who then dies by ingesting them.
A person indicted under the Death by Distribution law could face charges equivalent to first-degree kidnapping, or in the case of certain drug-related conviction repeat offenders, second-degree murder.
Note: Death by Distribution is a Class C felony. The maximum punishment for a Class C felony is 231 months (more than 19 years) of imprisonment. Aggravated death by distribution is a Class B2 felony, which may be punished by as much as 484 months (more than 40 years) of imprisonment. Thus, the same punishment that applies to second degree murder based on the unlawful distribution of opioids, cocaine or its derivatives, methamphetamine and certain depressants, applies to a conviction of Aggravated Death by Distribution.
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