Tag: Fentanyl

TOPANGA CANYON—On Tuesday, July 16, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that a woman has been charged with murder in the deaths of her three-year-old twin sons who were allegedly exposed to drugs laced with fentanyl, the highly potent synthetic opioid.

Jestice James, 22, is charged in case 24VWCF01433 with two counts of murder and two counts of child abuse/endangerment under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily harm or death. She is being held in lieu of $4 million bail. Arraignment is set for today, Dept. 10 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Van Nuys Branch.

On July 11, shortly after 11 a.m., emergency crews responded to a home in the San Fernando Valley, where paramedics attempted life-saving measures on the twin boys, Josiah and Jestine. Both were taken to the hospital. Josiah died on July 11 and Jestine was pronounced deceased on July 13.

If convicted as charged, the defendant faces life in prison. The case is being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.

By Trevor

SANTA MONICA—Federal and local law enforcement agencies filed charges on Tuesday, May 10, against a man accused of selling counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl to three teenage girls in Santa Monica. Two of the teens who consumed the counterfeit pills experienced life-threatening overdoses. 

On May 24, 2023, the three teenage girls allegedly purchased blue pills, believed to be ecstasy, online from 22-year-old Adrian Benavides-Schorgi of Jefferson Park, Los Angeles. The following night at 11 p.m., officers from the Santa Monica Police Department responded to an address in the 2000 block of 20th Street near Pico Boulevard after receiving a report of overdoses. Two of the teens were in critical condition and transported to the hospital for medical attention. One teen was still conscious and alert. 

Authorities arrested Benavides-Schorgi on April 27, 2023, to be held without bond at a hearing the next day.

Upon an investigation by law enforcement, Benavides-Schorgi was charged by a federal grand jury with one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury. The trial for this case is scheduled to begin June 20, 2023, while the DEA and SMPD continue their investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy Beecher of the General Crimes Section is the prosecutor on the case. 

This is just one of 12 new federal cases involving fentanyl announced by law enforcement on National Fentanyl Awareness Day this Tuesday. Four of the cases involve suspects from cities in Los Angeles County, including Santa Monica, North Hollywood, Montebello, and Torrance.

The case against Benavides-Schorgi is only one of the 12 that does not involve the death of at least one victim. 

By Paige Strickland