Man gets 15 years to life in prison for murder in Placer County fentanyl death
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- Judge Garen Horst sentenced James Scott Teahan Jr. to 15 years to life in prison.
- Teahan was convicted of second-degree murder in a Placer County fentanyl death.
- Prosecutors say Teahan supplied the fentanyl that caused the April 2024 drug death.
A judge on Monday sentenced a man to 15 years to life in prison for a murder conviction in a Placer County death from fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can kill in small amounts.
Placer Superior Court Judge Garen Horst sentenced James Scott Teahan Jr., 35, for the death of Stephen Windham, the Placer County District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release. Along with the 15 years to life prison sentence, Teahan was sentenced to an additional six years in prison for a conviction on related drug charges.
Windham, who died from fentanyl on April 24, 2024, was a father and left behind two children. Windham’s mother said her son’s death upended their lives and left the family devastated, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Investigators determined that Teahan had supplied Windham with the fentanyl that caused his death.
Prosecutors said Teahan was selling drugs and in possession of fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and a loaded gun when he was arrested two years ago. They also said Teahan was well aware fentanyl was deadly, acknowledging that fentanyl was a “drug that kills” and that “one hit can kill” after witnessing numerous overdose deaths of people he knew but continued to sell fentanyl.
In April, Teahan pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for Windham’s fentanyl death. Teahan’s murder trial was scheduled to begin that same week before he entered the no contest plea.
Fentanyl murder cases
Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire’s office has filed murder charges against seven defendants accused in Placer County fentanyl deaths. Gire has said his prosecutors will file murder charges against defendants accused of selling or supplying fentanyl when there’s evidence to prove they knew the drug could be deadly.
As little as 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Drug dealers mix fentanyl, because of its potency and low cost, with other drugs including heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine, which increases the likelihood of a fatal dose, according to the DEA. It’s possible for someone to take a pill without knowing it contains fentanyl or whether it contains a lethal dose of fentanyl.
Authorities say fentanyl can be sold as pills with some online dealers claiming the pills are Xanax, Percocet and oxycodone. Fentanyl also can come in powder and vape pens.
High-profile criminal cases in the Sacramento area involved evidence showing young people using their social media accounts, such as Snapchat, to sell or find fentanyl to buy.
Six homicide convictions
There have been six homicide convictions in the seven fentanyl murder cases Gire’s prosecutors have filed since February 2022. Five of those six convictions, including Teahan’s case, have ended with plea agreements before trial.
Only one of those convictions was the result of a case that went to trial, and the fate of that defendant, Carson David Schewe, was left to the jury. Schewe was found guilty of second-degree murder in Kade Kristopher Webb’s death.
The murder case is still pending against Christopher Kegan Williams, a Sacramento County man who is accused of providing fentanyl that led to the September 2020 death of 20-year-old Spencer Newsom in Roseville.
A judge in October determined there was sufficient evidence for Williams, 30, to stand trial on murder and drug charges in connection with Newsom’s death, court records show. Williams, who remains in custody at the Placer County Jail, is scheduled to return to court July 9 for a trial confirming conference. His trial has not been scheduled.
