FRANKLIN, Pa. — It took a Venango County jury less than three hours Thursday to convict an Emlenton man of drug delivery resulting in death and other charges related to the overdose death of a Clarion County woman in 2017.

The verdict came following two days of testimony and closing arguments earlier Thursday in the trial for Shaun Long, 51.

Testimony during the trial had indicated Kayla Dunlap, 28, of Callensburg, died in September 2017 after taking drugs at Long’s home in Scrubgrass Township.

Long was convicted of furnishing acetylfentanyl — an extremely potent opioid analgesic — to Dunlap, causing her to overdose and die. He was also found guilty of disposing of Dunlap’s body near the Butler Reservoir.

Grace O’Day, 25, who helped Long dump the body and was at Long’s home when Dunlap overdosed, testified Tuesday about the series of events before and after Dunlap’s death.

Jurors at one point during deliberations asked to view photos that had been presented by the prosecution and to have sections of the law pertaining to manslaughter and drug delivery resulting in death charges read to them again.

Shortly after reviewing the photos, the panel, made up of eight men and four women, returned with its verdict.

Venango County District Attorney Shawn White said, “I am very happy with the jury’s work on this case. I am also very happy with the investigators who worked this case. Not many people work as hard as these two state troopers did to make sure that what actually happened to Kayla was brought to the surface. I believe the jury gave the right verdict, so that the person responsible was held responsible.”

Long was remanded to the Venango County jail, and Judge Robert Boyer set sentencing for March 31.

White said the conviction carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Defense attorney Joe Ryan said he would wait until after the sentencing to determine if he would file an appeal.

The defense presented its case Wednesday.

Long declined to testify, but his attorney recalled a state police trooper to the stand and called a physician to testify.

Ryan recalled state police Cpl. Christopher Balcik, who testified Tuesday about cell phone records.

Ryan asked Balcik to read several messages that appeared on a cell phone belonging to O’Day.

The text messages were of conversations between O’Day and others about drug deals. After reading one set of texts, Balcik concluded that it appeared O’Day was making a “drug transaction with her family.”

In another text, O’Day warned her buyer to be careful with the drugs she was selling because the “white” was “good as (expletive).”

In a text dated Aug. 20, 2017, O’Day said Dunlap had used some and “fell off of her porch.”

Ryan also asked if the fire ring located behind Long’s trailer had been searched. Balcik said another member of the state police team examined the fire ring, but didn’t find anything.

O’Day testified Tuesday that Long had burned the sheets he had wrapped Dunlap’s body in and a flip-flop found the next day in the fire pit.

Ryan also called forensic pathologist Dr. Todd Luckasevic of Sewickley to testify. Luckasevic said he agreed with Dr. Leon Rozen, who testified Tuesday, that Dunlap died of an overdose, but he disagreed with Rozen’s interpretation of the results.

Luckasevic said the report confirmed the existence of caffeine, the Narcan medication, fentanyl, norfentanyl (an opioid analgesic), acetylfentanyl (a more potent opioid analgesic), pseudoephedrine (a decongestant) and methamphetamines.

He said one ingredient identified in Rozen’s report was a byproduct of another drug.

Luckasevic said the level of fentanyl in Dunlap’s body was three times the normal level. He noted Dunlap’s level of methamphetamine was three times the legal level.

Luckasevic said acetylfentanyl is so new that no legal levels have been established.

“It is a synthetic opiate not prescribed for human use,” he said.

He said either the fentanyl or meth levels found in Dunlap’s body could have caused her death.

Under cross-examination, Luckasevic noted that while Narcan is useful, the victim must be “more or less alive” for it to be effective.

O’Day testified Tuesday that Long kept Narcan at his home, and she had used it on Dunlap after she overdosed. She was also charged in the case, and pleaded guilty to a charge of furnishing authorities with information without knowledge.

Randy Bartley reports for The Derrick in Oil City and The News-Herald in Franklin.