As fentanyl-related deaths surpass last year’s total in Kern County, California, the district attorney warns drug dealers that they may face serious charges, including murder.
The drug has killed at least 153 residents in Kern this year alone. Last year, there was a total of 125 deaths, KGET-TV of Bakersfield reported.
Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer told the station that she and other DAs across California are looking to step up in areas where state lawmakers are failing with hopes of pursuing murder charges for drug-related deaths, MSN reported.
“We have seen such a huge rise in the number of fentanyl overdoses here in Kern County (and) not just in Kern County but nationwide,” Zimmer told the station this week. “We would like to be able to have the opportunity to prosecute drug dealers for murder for killing some of these young people that they distribute this horrific drug to.”
Zimmer will require prosecutors from her office to read the so-called Watson advisal in court during drug dealers’ convictions. The statement advises those types of defendants who are in court on drug-related offenses that they can face murder or manslaughter charges if someone dies as a result of using drugs linked to them, KGET reported.
The advisable also lets juries in future cases know that defendants had been told that they could face harsher charges if they become repeat offenders, the report said.
“We have to show that the accused knew what they were doing was dangerous, they chose to do it anyway … they knew what they were doing and knew that they could be prosecuted for murder,” Zimmer told KGET.
