California district court holds fentanyl homicide case

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - 44-year-old Ronald Ehman was in court Tuesday in what may be a landmark case in Sacramento.

"The first fentanyl charge in Sacramento is pretty monumental. We have to be able to hold dealers accountable and the more regions that do that the more successful we'll be in our overall approach," said Morgan Gire, District Attorney for Placer County.

Gire's office secured the first fentanyl murder conviction as Sacramento charges someone with it for the first time ever.

"The idea of holding dealers who are coming into Sacramento or are within Sacramento, or dealing to those in Sacramento makes this case pretty significant," Gire explained.

Important piece

The Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho said in a statement, "Specially trained investigators will be able to respond to fentanyl deaths to gather critical evidence and a specialized vertical prosecutor will be assigned to handle these cases."

24-year-old Mary Syrij died in Folsom on July 26 after overdosing on fentanyl. Ehman was picked up at the Folsom Light Rail Station and charged.

Gire says it's not the be-all end-all method of combatting fentanyl related cases, but is an important piece of being able to get dealers off the streets.

"We don't prosecute a case to send a message we prosecute a case because it's the right thing to do under the circumstances of that case. I would hope that my colleagues across the state would use it judiciously and in those most deserving of circumstances," Gire remarked.

As of now, all eyes will be on Sacramento, one of the biggest counties in the state to pursue a case like this so far.