Woman who furnished deadly dose of fentanyl to MoVal man sentenced
BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) - A convicted felon who sold a deadly dose of fentanyl to a 27-year-old Moreno Valley man was sentenced today to 15 years to life in state prison.
After deliberating a couple of hours, a Banning jury in June convicted Savanna Michelle Carlos, 24, of Moreno Valley of second-degree murder for causing the death of Jesse Jimenez in 2023.
During a sentencing hearing at the Banning Justice Center Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jonathan Mendoza imposed the term of imprisonment required under state law for the crime.
According to the District Attorney's Office, on Feb. 2, 2023, Jimenez smoked a fentanyl pill provided to him by Carlos at his mother's home, in the 21600 block of Winding Road, near Yolo Street.
He passed out during inhalation of the product, suffering acute fentanyl poisoning and dying in his bedroom, where his mother later discovered his body, prosecutors said.
"The investigation revealed the victim had spent hours contacting numerous individuals to obtain fentanyl,'' the D.A.'s office said in a statement. "Through search warrants, cell phone extractions, social media records, financial records and other digital evidence, investigators determined Carlos was the only individual who agreed to deliver the fentanyl."
When sheriff's deputies arrived, they recovered the partially smoked fentanyl and Jimenez's mobile phone, which became key to the Central Homicide Unit's ensuing investigation.
Carlos was ultimately identified as the supplier.
She was booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in December 2023 after she completed serving a term of incarceration at the Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center in Devore, in San Bernardino County, for unspecified offenses.
"Evidence established that approximately 30 minutes after the delivery of the fentanyl to Jiminez, the victim sent a text message stating he was smoking it," according to the agency statement. "Jurors heard evidence that, months before the poisoning, Carlos was present at another individual's fentanyl poisoning, performed CPR on the victim and was warned by law enforcement then about the deadly dangers of fentanyl. Despite that warning, she continued selling fentanyl."
Court records show Carlos had a prior conviction in Riverside County for forgery.
Since February 2021, prosecutors have charged over 30 people in connection with fentanyl poisonings. Three prosecutions -- including the most recent one -- have resulted in murder convictions.
Preliminary county health department statistics indicated there were 229 suspected fentanyl-related fatalities countywide in 2025, compared to 351 confirmed poisonings in 2024, a roughly 40% decline.
Fentanyl is manufactured in overseas labs, principally in China, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the synthetic 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.
