Northern California woman faces murder charge after Yuba City man’s fentanyl overdose
A 27-year-old Sutter County woman has been arrested and faces a murder charge after being accused of selling fentanyl to a man who died of an overdose, the Yuba City Police Department said Wednesday.
The investigation that led to the arrest began July 5, when Yuba City police officers responded to the report of a deceased man. The man, identified as Jesus Chavez, 32, was found in the 200 block of Wilbur Avenue, authorities said.
It was later determined that Chavez had received a fatal dose of fentanyl allegedly supplied by Courtney Robinson, the Yuba City Police Department said in a news release.
A week after Chavez’s death, an undercover agent contacted Robinson and arranged to meet her under the pretense of buying fentanyl. Robinson was arrested July 12 in the 2500 block of Palm Street in Sutter.
“At the time of her arrest, Robinson was found to be in possession of approximately 2.4 gross grams of fentanyl,” police said.
Robinson was arraigned July 14 in Sutter Superior Court. She faces felony charges of second-degree murder and possession for sale of a controlled substance, court records show.
The arrest is among an increasing trend of law enforcement and prosecutors holding to account those who sell fentanyl, which is 50 times more potent than heroin. Earlier this month, the first defendant in California was convicted of fentanyl-related murder stemming from a 2022 case where a Roseville 15-year-old girl overdosed.
