Two of three defendants in fentanyl fatality admit felony charges

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - A man and woman responsible for supplying a deadly dose of fentanyl to a 35-year-old Riverside resident pleaded guilty today to felony charges, while trial proceedings were tentatively scheduled next week for a third defendant.

Jaclyn Christine Sherman, 32, of Riverside and David Ray Mullins, 48, of Jurupa Valley both reached pretrial agreements with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office Friday. Sherman admitted voluntary manslaughter and transportation of controlled substances for sale, and Mullins admitted involuntary manslaughter and two counts of possession of controlled substances for sale.  

In exchange for their admissions, prosecutors dropped second-degree murder charges against both defendants.   

Superior Court Judge Joshlyn Pulliam scheduled Mullins' sentencing hearing for Feb. 17 at the Riverside Hall of Justice, where Sherman is set for sentencing on March 30. The proposed terms of imprisonment were not published in the court register.

Meantime, the judge tentatively set trial for the pair's alleged co- conspirator, 39-year-old Miguel Garcia of Riverside, for Feb. 11 at the downtown courthouse. He's charged with involuntary manslaughter, possession of controlled substances for sale and transportation of drugs for sale.

Each defendant is being held in lieu of $1 million bail -- Garcia and Sherman at the Robert Presley Jail, and Mullins at the Byrd Detention Center.   

Sherman and Garcia allegedly delivered the fentanyl that killed Christopher Nicholas Lucia in 2023. Mullins was the original source of the synthetic opioid, prosecutors said.

According to an arrest declaration affidavit filed by Riverside police Detective Scott Levesque, Garcia and Sherman were partners in narcotics sales to a stream of purchasers throughout the Riverside metropolitan area.   

In the predawn hours of Nov. 8, 2023, they met Lucia after he contacted Sherman via text to request two grams of fentanyl, the affidavit said. While sitting in the back of Garcia's Honda Element, the victim consumed the drug as his girlfriend waited for him in his car, parked nearby on Stony Brooke Circle.  

Lucia returned to his vehicle moments later and got behind the wheel, Levesque said.  

"Since he was already becoming irritable and sick, it's possible he used a larger dose (of fentanyl) than normal, which could cause a higher-than-normal amount of the drug to enter the blood stream,'' the detective said.   

Lucia drove a short distance before falling unconscious, prompting his girlfriend, whose identity wasn't disclosed, to call 911. Lucia lingered in a coma for five days, when he succumbed to the toxic substance, according to the affidavit.

Garcia and Sherman were soon identified as the alleged sellers, and a search warrant was obtained and served at their shared residence in the 4900 block of Gardena Drive.

"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,'' Riverside police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback said.

The defendants' supplier was identified as Mullins, and a search warrant was executed at his property, where officers seized "scales, baggies, white residue and other items consistent with sales of fentanyl,'' according to the affidavit.

He was later convicted in a separate drug trafficking case and sent to state prison for less than a year.  

"Sherman, Garcia and Mullins are responsible for the fentanyl that killed Lucia,'' Levesque wrote.

Court records show Sherman has documented prior convictions for petty theft and driving on a suspended license. Mullins has priors that were not listed in court documents. Garcia has no priors in Riverside County.  

Since February 2021, prosecutors have charged over 30 people in connection with fentanyl poisonings. Two prosecutions have resulted in murder convictions.

Public health statistics indicated there were 328 known fentanyl-related fatalities countywide in 2024, compared to 571 in 2023, a 42% decline. Numbers for 2025 haven't been finalized.

Fentanyl is manufactured in overseas labs, principally in China, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the opioid is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border by cartels.

Fentanyl is 80-100 times more potent than morphine and can be mixed into any number of street narcotics and prescription drugs, without a recipient knowing what he or she is consuming. Ingestion of only two milligrams can be fatal.