A Sacramento homeless man is facing murder charges for allegedly providing a lethal dose of fentanyl that killed a Rocklin, California, father in July.
State and local authorities arrested Brandon Garner, 42, a transient from Sacramento, on Oct. 26. He appeared in court the same day but did not enter a plea and is being held in the Placer County jail without bail.
Mr. Garner’s arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 9 in Placer County Superior Court, according to Placer County District Attorney Morgan Gire’s office.
The arrest resulted from an investigation by the Placer Special Investigations Unit led by the California Department of Justice, which uncovered evidence that the suspect was aware of the lethal nature of the fentanyl that caused the death of the man, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in an Oct. 26 release.
“This arrest must send a strong message to California communities: Those who knowingly distribute dangerous fentanyl will be held accountable,” Mr. Bonta said. “We have seen too many deaths from this lethal drug: children, parents, and friends taken from their loved ones too soon.”
The attorney general also encouraged Californians to steer clear of the cheap, dangerous, and lethal drug.
The task force arrested Mr. Garner Oct. 25 after he was found inside his car in Sacramento. During a search of his vehicle, agents reportedly uncovered one ounce of fentanyl powder, a quarter ounce of cocaine, and methamphetamine, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
Fentanyl, a powerful and addictive synthetic opioid, is 50-times stronger than heroin. A small amount can result in an overdose and potential death. Fentanyl mixed with another drug increases the likelihood of a fatal overdose, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
Nearly 71,000 people in the United States died in 2021 from overdosing on synthetic opioids—mainly fentanyl, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The case marks the fourth murder charge filed by the Placer County District Attorney’s office in response to a fatal fentanyl poisoning.
While the office cannot comment on pending cases, Mr. Gire reiterated his commitment to prosecute fentanyl-related crime.
“Our message is simple: do not sell this poison in Placer County,” Mr. Gire told The Epoch Times in an email. “Through aggressive prosecution, county-wide investigations, support from our local officials, and our ‘1 Pill Can Kill Placer’ campaign, we will save lives through education, enforcement and empowering our community members.”
The Placer Special Investigation Unit is a California DOJ-led narcotics and high-risk probation and post release supervision task force. Its agents are from the Placer County Sheriff’s Office; Roseville, Rocklin, and Auburn police departments; Placer County Probation, and the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.
The task force also arrested Nathaniel Cabacungan, 22, in August 2022 for the June 2022 homicide of J. Wolf, a 15-year-old girl from Roseville.
Mr. Cabacungan was sentenced Oct. 10 in Placer County Superior Court of second-degree murder, after pleading guilty in the girl’s death in July 2022.
In the first fentanyl-related murder sentence in the state, Mr. Cabacungan was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, served in concurrence with a nine-year sentence for a separate charge, according to the court.
Continuing his statewide effort to address the fentanyl crisis, Mr. Bonta supported several pieces of legislation this year that were signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The new laws established a fentanyl misuse and overdose prevention task force; an opioid use disorder treatment; increasing penalties and fines for trafficking heroin, cocaine and fentanyl, and other policies and programs.
