San Diego man sentenced for distributing fentanyl which resulted in one death
18-year-old woman's death connected to fentanyl
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - On November 23, San Diego resident Brandon Jacob Shepherd was sentenced to 13 years and 11 months in prison for selling fentanyl, which resulted in the death of an 18-year-old woman.
During Shepherd's time of 168 months in custody, he admitted to selling fentanyl to the woman, along with co-defendant Leon Chester Kolin III.
On the evening of January 14, 2020, Shepherd sold the victim and Kolin a gram of fentanyl for at least $100.
The three individuals smoked fentanyl in Shepherd's hotel room when the victim overdosed but did not die.
The victim smoked fentanyl resin days later then died from another overdose.
Investigators searched Shepherd's hotel room and found packages of fentanyl powder, counterfeit pharmaceutical tablets, cash and unused plastic baggies.
Two other co-defendants, Anthony Gascon and Christopher Barksdale, were also arrested for seeminly being involved with Shepherd's distribution scheme.
“Tragically, fentanyl has again cut down the life of a bright and promising future here in our community, whose loss will forever be felt by her family,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “This Office will continue to aggressively pursue and prosecute anyone who seeks to profit, or even to further their own addiction, by peddling this poison. If someone dies from fentanyl you provide them, we will use every tool at our disposal to hold you responsible.”
