Trio accused in fentanyl poisoning of Riverside man
A probationer and two men accused of supplying a deadly dose of fentanyl to a 35-year-old Riverside man are slated to be arraigned next month.
Jaclyn Christine Sherman and Miguel Garcia, both 30 and of Riverside, along with 46-year-old David Ray Mullins of Jurupa Valley, are charged with second-degree murder for the death last year of Christopher Nicholas Lucia.
Sherman and Garcia are additionally charged with possession of controlled substances for sale.
They were both being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside. Mullins is in state prison, serving time for unspecified offenses in another jurisdiction.
The trio are slated to be arraigned together on Feb. 14 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
They allegedly provided the fentanyl consumed by Lucia on Nov. 8, precipitating his death a few days later, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
"The death toll from fentanyl overdoses in Riverside County continues to rise and put all our community members at risk,'' Riverside police Chief Larry Gonzalez said. "We won't stop fighting to rid this deadly poison from our neighborhoods.''
More than two dozen people countywide have been charged with murder in fentanyl-related cases.
"Along with our law enforcement partners, our office will continue to fight the fentanyl epidemic for the safety of our community,'' District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. "Those who provide fentanyl causing the death of another in the county should expect to be prosecuted for homicide and be held fully accountable for the life they took with this deadly poison."
According to Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback, Lucia was hospitalized after consuming an unknown quantity of fentanyl-laced drugs. Detectives were alerted to his condition after tests showed fentanyl in the comatose man's system. He died on Nov. 13, Railsback said.
The ensuing investigation led to the three defendants, culminating in search warrants being served earlier this month in the 5500 block of Inner Circle Drive and 4900 block of Gardena Drive in Riverside, as well as the 7200 block of Font Avenue in Jurupa Valley, according to Railsback.
"Detectives located and seized more than three-quarter pounds of powdered fentanyl, as well as evidence these suspects continued selling fentanyl after Christopher's death,'' he said. "Additionally, 11 firearms were seized during this investigation."
How the victim had come into contact with the defendants was not disclosed.
Court records show Sherman has prior convictions for petty theft and driving on a suspended license. Mullins has a prior for possession of controlled substances. Background information on Garcia wasn't available.
In November, prosecutors closed the books on the county's first fentanyl murder case to go before a jury, culminating in the conviction of 34- year-old Vicente David Romero, who was sentenced in November to 15 years to life in prison for the 2020 death of a Temecula woman.
According to public safety officials, there were 503 confirmed fentanyl-related fatalities countywide in 2022, compared to just under 400 in 2021, a 200-fold increase from 2016, when there were only two. Statistics for 2023 haven't been released.
Fentanyl is manufactured in overseas labs, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the synthetic opioid is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border by cartels.
The drug is 80-100 times more potent than morphine and can be mixed into any number of street narcotics and prescription drugs, without a user knowing what he or she is consuming. Ingestion of only two milligrams can be fatal.
Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45 years old.
