First fentanyl murder conviction in California: Man convicted in death of Roseville-area teen

A 21-year-old man was convicted Friday of second-degree murder for supplying fentanyl to a Roseville-area teen who fatally overdosed last year.

Placer County prosecutors said this was the first time in California that a defendant was convicted of homicide for supplying fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.

Along with the murder charge, Nathaniel Cabacungan was convicted of furnishing a controlled substance to a minor in the death of the 15-year-old girl, according to the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.

Cabacungan’s preliminary hearing to determine whether there was enough evidence for him to stand trial was scheduled for this week. But Cabacungan decided to change his plea on Friday.

He was initially charged with meeting with a minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd behavior, but that charge was dropped, the D.A.’s Office said.

The girl’s death was reported June 21, 2022. Prosecutors alleged that Cabacungan possessed and transported the fentanyl pressed into the form of Percocet pills for the purposes of sale.

On Friday afternoon, Cabacungan remained in custody at the Placer County Jail. He is scheduled to return Aug. 16 for his sentencing hearing in Placer Superior Court.

There was a 450% increase in fentanyl deaths in Placer County from 2019 to 2021, with nearly half of the deaths being those under 25 years old, according to county officials. The state Department of Justice said 2 milligrams of fentanyl can result in overdose and potentially death.

The District Attorney’s Office has been aggressive in going after fentanyl dealers, with prosecutors filing murder charges in two other fentanyl deaths last year. The criminal cases against Carson David Schewe and Aaron Kurtis Dare II are still pending.

“The murder conviction today demonstrates that our office remains committed to holding dealers of deadly fentanyl accountable for the lives they take,” District Attorney Morgan Gire said in a statement.

This story was originally published July 7, 2023 at 3:20 PM.