Two Carteret County men have been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to charges related to the drug overdose death of 30-year-old Pawnee Schmitz of Davis.
Nicholas Chris-Jon Joyner, 43, of Sea Level, and Joel Elliot Willis, 33, of Davis, both entered guilty pleas in connection with Schmitz’s death, announced District Attorney Scott Thomas and Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck on Monday, January 13.
Joyner pleaded guilty to Death by Distribution, receiving a sentence of 77 to 105 months in prison. Willis pleaded guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter, receiving a sentence of 17 to 30 months. Both men will serve their sentences in the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction. Previously, in July, Melissa Mastopierro, 42, of Atlantic, also pled guilty to Death by Distribution and was sentenced to 70 to 96 months in prison.
The charges stem from the overdose death of Schmitz on May 29, 2023. Carteret County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call from Schmitz’s father, who found his son unconscious on the bathroom floor. EMS responders later confirmed Schmitz had no signs of life. Investigators found drug paraphernalia and two bags containing methamphetamine and fentanyl near the body. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death as methamphetamine and fentanyl toxicity.
The investigation revealed that Schmitz had purchased drugs from the suspects the night before his death. While Willis did not supply the drugs directly to Schmitz, he played a role by picking up and delivering the drugs. Joyner, along with Mastopierro, fled to a motel in Havelock before being apprehended, where additional narcotics were found.
