A probationer accused of supplying a deadly dose of fentanyl to a 29-year-old man in Lake Mathews is facing second-degree murder charges. John Frederick Sandoval, a 28-year-old resident of Jurupa Valley, was arrested by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department after a four-month-long investigation into the death of Gorge Sandoval, who is possibly related to the defendant.
John Sandoval is currently held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail and was scheduled to appear in court at the Riverside Hall of Justice on Tuesday.
On April 7th, patrol deputies and paramedics responded to a call at Gorge Sandoval’s residence in the 22000 block of Piedras Road, near Gavilan Road. They discovered an unconscious man and attempted life-saving measures until paramedics arrived. Unfortunately, their efforts were in vain, and Gorge Sandoval was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sgt. Sean Liebrand revealed, “The coroner’s bureau later determined that Gorge died as a result of fentanyl poisoning, and the case was assumed by the sheriff’s Overdose Investigations & Narcotics Unit. Through their investigation, the suspect was identified as John Sandoval.”
In early June, a search warrant was obtained and served at John Sandoval’s residence in the 8400 block of Saddle Creek Drive, resulting in the seizure of two kilos of suspected fentanyl.
Sandoval was initially booked into jail on drug-related charges as the investigation was ongoing. However, he pleaded guilty on June 20 to possession of controlled substances for sale, being a narcotic addict in possession of a firearm, and possession of an assault rifle. He was sentenced to two years’ felony probation.
By the end of last month, detectives had gathered enough evidence to request a murder charge against Sandoval, leading to his arrest on Thursday. In addition to his recent conviction, Sandoval has a prior misdemeanor conviction for driving under the influence.
In Riverside County, approximately two dozen individuals have been charged with murder in connection with fentanyl poisonings since February 2021. Just last week, the District Attorney’s Office secured its first second-degree murder conviction against Vicente David Romero, a fentanyl dealer who provided a fatal dose of the synthetic opioid to a woman in Temecula in 2020.
According to public safety officials, there were 503 confirmed fentanyl-related deaths in the county last year, compared to just under 400 in 2021. This represents a shocking 200-fold increase from 2016 when there were only two deaths. Fentanyl is primarily manufactured in overseas labs, particularly in China. Cartels smuggle the substance across the U.S.-Mexico border. Fentanyl is 80-100 times more potent than morphine and can be mixed with various street narcotics and prescription drugs without the user’s knowledge. Ingesting just two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal.
Statistics reveal that fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.
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