July 8, 2023 - Placer County Sheriff’s Office officials report that yesterday, the Placer County District Attorney's Office announced that 21-year-old Nathaniel Cabacungan was convicted of second-degree murder, among other charges, in the fentanyl death of a 15-year-old Roseville girl.

We first shared Cabacungan’s arrest with you in August 2022 after one of our detectives on the Placer County Special Investigations Unit (SIU), linked him to the overdose death of the 15-year-old in June 2022. During the investigation, it was revealed Cabacungan met with the young girl and during that time, provided her with what turned out to be a lethal dose of counterfeit Percocet pills. The female victim died on June 19th – the Placer County Sheriff-Coroner Division determined her death was fentanyl-related.

The defendant appeared in Placer County Superior Court this morning, where the murder conviction was secured by the Placer County District Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Unit with the direct support of our dedicated SIU detective. The defendant is set to be sentenced on August 16th, 2023, at 3 p.m. in Department 42 at the Santucci Justice Center, in Roseville. Aggressive prosecution is one of the many pillars of Placer County’s fight against the fentanyl crisis.

 “I would like to commend the phenomenal work of all the investigators who put this case together. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office will continue to utilize any resource at our disposal to hold these fentanyl dealers accountable,” responded Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo.

Source: Placer County Sheriff’s Office