LAKE MATHEWS, CA — Authorities in Riverside County continue to seek murder charges in fentanyl deaths when evidence allows, and a probationer is the latest to feel the wrath — but not everyone agrees with the tough stance.
John Frederick Sandoval, 28, of Jurupa Valley was arrested last week following a nearly four-month-long Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation. He was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder in the death of 29-year-old Gorge Sandoval of Lake Mathews. The two men were not related, according to Sgt. Wenndy Brito-Gonzalez.
John Sandoval was being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail and was slated to make his initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
To date, there are at least 24 fentanyl death cases in which the Riverside County DA’s office has pursued murder charges. In 2022, there were over 500 fentanyl-related deaths countywide.
The fentanyl cases — and deaths — are fast and furious in Riverside County. On Tuesday, Riley Jacob Hagar, 26, of Cathedral City — who is suspected in the Jan. 1, 2022, fentanyl death of 22-year-old Travis O’Brien — was ordered to stand trial on a murder charge.
On that New Year’s afternoon, deputies responded to a call in the 69000 block of Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage and found O’Brien dead. Hagar was subsequently identified as the person who allegedly sold the fatal dose of fentanyl that killed O’Brien; he was arrested Aug. 31, 2022, and remains jailed at Indio’s John J. Benoit Detention Center, according to the sheriff’s department.
In the John Sandoval case, the investigation began the morning of April 7 when patrol deputies and paramedics were called to the victim’s residence in the 22000 block of Piedras Road, near Gavilan Road, to investigate reports of an unconscious man, according to the sheriff’s department.
Deputies attempted life-saving measures on Gorge Sandoval until paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. The coroner’s bureau later determined he died as a result of fentanyl, according to the sheriff’s department.
The death investigation eventually pointed to John Sandoval, the department said. A search warrant was obtained and served in early June at his residence in the 8400 block of Saddle Creek Drive in Jurupa Valley. There, “deputies seized two kilos of suspected fentanyl,” according to the sheriff’s department.
John Sandoval was booked on suspicion of drug-related charges and later pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to two years’ felony probation.
But by the end of last month, detectives gathered sufficient evidence to tie him to Gorge Sandoval’s fentanyl death, according to the sheriff’s department.
Bringing a murder charge in a fentanyl death case can be difficult to pursue. Prosecutors must prove a fentanyl supplier knew the activity could lead to death but went ahead with it anyway.
The California Legislature has debated several bills that could make it easier to pursue serious charges against fentanyl suppliers, but those measures have stalled. One of the reasons is that addicts and street-level dealers would likely get snared instead of drug cartel members who are believed to be largely responsible for the proliferation of fentanyl in the United States.
Fentanyl is manufactured in overseas labs, principally in China, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the substance 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. Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 45 years old, statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.
In Riverside County, it’s unclear whether any of those charged with murder in fentanyl cases have connections to drug cartels. Most appear to be addicts themselves and/or low-level street dealers. In last week’s guilty verdict, the defendant split a fentanyl-laced pill with the decedent. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6. Second-degree murder carries a potential sentence of 15 years to life.
The nonprofit Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates for treating drug addiction as a medical issue rather than criminal, argues that when drug homicide laws are in place, people who witness overdose or poisoning can be reluctant to call 911 if they are in any way involved with administering or furnishing a narcotic. Some believe drug-induced homicide laws target major drug traffickers, but they are actually resulting in friends, family members and romantic partners of overdose victims being charged for their death, the DPA argues.
Those concerns will not stop authorities in Riverside County. Following last week’s guilty verdict, Hestrin said the trial’s outcome showed “our unwavering commitment to protecting our communities, providing justice for victims, and holding those accountable who engage in the distribution of illicit fentanyl resulting in death.”
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