A convicted felon accused of supplying a lethal amount of fentanyl to a 30-year-old man in Temecula has been apprehended on Friday.
Quinn Aaron McKellips faces charges of second-degree murder for the 2020 death of Calin Sender.
On January 17, 2020, deputies and paramedics responded to reports of an unconscious man at Sender’s residence on Festivo Street, Riverside County. According to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Sean Liebrand, paramedics declared Sender dead at the scene. An autopsy revealed that fentanyl poisoning was the cause of death.
“Deputies discovered M30 pills and Xanax bars in Sender’s bedroom,” stated Liebrand. Subsequent testing confirmed the M30 pills contained fentanyl. Starting in November 2022, the sheriff’s Overdose Investigations & Narcotics Unit took over the investigation, working diligently to identify the individual responsible for selling the fentanyl that led to Sender’s demise,” said the sergeant.
Liebrand alleged that McKellips was identified as the seller. However, the nature of the relationship between the defendant and the victim was not disclosed.
The District Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and subsequently filed a criminal complaint on Tuesday. A warrant for McKellips’ arrest was issued, and he was taken into custody without incident on Friday afternoon at Cavalry Circle in Winchester.
Court records indicate that McKellips has prior convictions for possession of controlled substances for sale, possession of a firearm by a narcotic addict, transportation of controlled substances for sale, and domestic violence.
Since February 2021, approximately 24 individuals throughout the county have been charged with murder in relation to fentanyl-related deaths. Last month, county prosecutors achieved their first second-degree murder conviction against Vicente David Romero, a fentanyl dealer who provided a lethal dose of the synthetic opioid to a 26-year-old woman from Temecula in 2020. Romero is scheduled for sentencing on October 6.
According to public safety officials, there were 503 confirmed fentanyl-related fatalities in the county last year, compared to just under 400 in 2021. This represents a 200-fold increase since 2016, when there were only two reported cases.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration states that fentanyl is predominantly manufactured in labs overseas, primarily in China. Cartels smuggle the synthetic opioid across the U.S.-Mexico border. Fentanyl is 80-100 times more potent than morphine and can be mixed with various street drugs and prescription medications without the user’s knowledge. Ingesting just two milligrams can be fatal. It is currently the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 45.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
