California’s first fentanyl-related murder sentencing handed down in Placer County

Matthew Nobert
·2 min read

(FOX40.COM) — The Placer County Superior Court officially handed down California’s first sentencing for a fentanyl-related murder on Tuesday.

Nathaniel Cabacungan was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison which will be served in concurrence with a nine-year sentence for a separate charge, according to the court.

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In July, Cabacungan became the first person to be convicted for a fentanyl-related murder by a California court in connection to the death of Jewels Wolf, 15, of Roseville in June 2022.

“Though this victory does not bring my precious daughter back and I am stricken with a lifetime of grief, I am honored to know that Jewels’ story is going to help save so many lives going forward,” Jewel’s mother Regina Chavez said during a news conference following the sentencing.

In August 2022, Cabacungan was arrested by a partnership of several Placer County law enforcement agencies including the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.

The multi-agency investigation found that Cabacungan was the dealer that sold the deadly drug to Jewels.

“He had the opportunity to help, he had the opportunity to intervene and he had the opportunity to save her life and he chose to watch her die instead,” Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire.

During Tuesday’s news conference, Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo shared his condolences with Jewels’ family, his appreciation to all those involved in the case and also served a warning to those planning to deal fentanyl in Placer County.

“As the sheriff of this community, to anybody who is going to spread this poison, to our constituents, I will use every resource at my disposal to gather the evidence and put a criminal case together and refer that case to the district attorney and make sure you are held accountable,” Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo.

Placer County launched their ‘1 Pill Can Kill‘ campaign against fentanyl following the death of 17-year-old Whitney High School student Zach Didier when he died of a fentanyl overdose from a Percocet he purchased from a dealer on Snapchat.

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