Trio To Stand Trial In Fatal Fentanyl Poisoning Of Riverside Man

RIVERSIDE, CA — A woman and two men accused of supplying a deadly dose of fentanyl to a 35-year-old Riverside man must stand trial for second-degree murder and other charges, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Jaclyn Christine Sherman and Miguel Garcia, both 31 and of Riverside, along with 46-year-old David Ray Mullins of Jurupa Valley, allegedly caused the death last year of Christopher Nicholas Lucia.

Following a preliminary hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice Wednesday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Bernard Schwartz found there was sufficient evidence to bound all three defendants over for trial on the murder count, as well as possession of controlled substances for sale. Garcia and Sherman were additionally held to answer for transportation of narcotics for sale.

The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Dec. 12.

All three defendants are being held in lieu of $1 million bail — Garcia and Sherman at the Robert Presley Detention Center, and Mullins at the Byrd Detention Center.

Garcia and Sherman allegedly provided the fentanyl consumed by Lucia on Nov. 8, 2023, precipitating his death five days later. Mullins was the original source of the synthetic opioid, prosecutors allege.

According to an arrest declaration affidavit filed by Riverside Police Department Detective Scott Levesque, Garcia and Sherman were alleged 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 alleged. While sitting in the back of Gracia's Honda Element, the victim consumed the drug as his girlfriend waited for him in his car, parked nearby on Stony Brooke Circle.

The victim returned to his vehicle moments later and got behind the wheel of his car, 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.

The victim drove a short distance before falling unconscious at the wheel, prompting his girlfriend, whose name was not disclosed, to call 911. Lucia lingered in a coma until Nov. 13, when he succumbed to the toxic substance, according to the affidavit.

Garcia and Sherman were identified as the alleged sellers within a few days, 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 Department spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback said.

"Additionally, 11 firearms were seized during this investigation."

The defendants' supplier was identified as Mullins, and a search warrant was executed at his property at 7226 Front Ave., 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 prior convictions for petty theft and driving on a suspended license. Garcia has no listed priors.

Since February 2021, Riverside County prosecutors have charged over 30 people countywide in connection with fentanyl poisonings.

In November, the District Attorney's Office 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 to 15 years to life in prison for the 2020 death of a Temecula woman. District Attorney Mike Hestrin said it was the first fentanyl murder conviction in the state.

According to public health statistics, there were 550 known fentanyl- related fatalities countywide in 2023, a 9% increase from 2022, when there were 503.

Fentanyl is manufactured overseas, principally in China, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the drug 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 user knowing what he or she is consuming. Ingestion of only two milligrams can be fatal.

—City News Service