One-third of trio accused in fentanyl fatality in Riverside sentenced
City News Service
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A man partly responsible for supplying a deadly dose of fentanyl to a 35-year-old Riverside resident was sentenced today to six years in state prison.
David Ray Mullins, 48, of Jurupa Valley pleaded guilty on Feb. 6 to involuntary manslaughter and two counts of possession of controlled substances for sale under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors dropped a second-degree murder charge against Mullins.
During a hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice on Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Joshlyn Pulliam certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.
Mullins’ co-defendant, 32-year-old Jaclyn Christine Sherman ofRiverside, admitted one count of voluntary manslaughter and transportation of controlled substances for sale under a separate plea bargain. Sherman, who isbeing held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center, is slated to be sentenced on March 30. Details on the stipulated sentence for her were unavailable.
Last week, the pair’s co-conspirator, 39-year-old Miguel Garcia of Riverside, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, possession of drugs for sale and transportation of controlled substances for sale under a pretrial agreement. Garcia, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center, is also scheduled for sentencing on March 30. The stipulated sentence for him was not disclosed.
Sherman and Garcia delivered the fentanyl that killed Christopher Nicholas Lucia in 2023. Mullins was the original source of the synthetic opioid, prosecutors said.
According to an arrest declaration affidavit filed by Riverside Police Department Detective Scott Levesque, Garcia and Sherman were partners in narcotics sales to a stream of purchasers throughout the Riverside metropolitan area.
In the predawn hours of Nov. 8, 2023, they met Lucia after he contacted Sherman via text to request two grams of fentanyl, the affidavit said. While sitting in the back of Garcia’s Honda Element compact crossover SUV, the victim consumed the drug as his girlfriend waited for him in his car, parked nearby on Stony Brooke Circle.
Lucia returned to his vehicle moments later and got behind the wheel, Levesque said.
“Since he was already becoming irritable and sick, it’s possible he used a larger dose (of fentanyl) than normal, which could cause a higher-than-normal amount of the drug to enter the blood stream,” the detective said.
Lucia drove a short distance before falling unconscious, prompting his girlfriend, whose name wasn’t disclosed, to call 911. Lucia lingered in a coma for five days, at which point he died from the toxic substance.
Garcia and Sherman were soon identified as the sellers, and a search warrant was obtained and served at their shared residence in the 4900 block of Gardena Drive.
“Detectives located and seized more than three-quarter pounds of powdered fentanyl, as well as evidence these suspects continued selling fentanyl after Christopher’s death,” Riverside police spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback said.
The defendants’ supplier was identified as Mullins, and a search warrant was executed at his property at 7226 Front Ave., where officers seized “scales, baggies, white residue and other items consistent with sales of fentanyl,” according to the affidavit.
Mullins was later convicted in a separate drug trafficking case and sent to state prison for less than a year.
“Sherman, Garcia and Mullins are responsible for the fentanyl that killed Lucia,” Levesque wrote.
Court records show Sherman has documented prior convictions for petty theft and driving on a suspended license. Mullins had priors that were not listed in court documents. Garcia has no priors in Riverside County.
Since February 2021, prosecutors have charged over three dozen people in connection with fentanyl poisonings. Two prosecutions have resulted in murder convictions.
Public health statistics indicated there were 328 known fentanyl-related fatalities countywide in 2024, compared to 571 in 2023, a 42% decline. Numbers for 2025 haven’t been finalized.
Fentanyl is manufactured in overseas labs, principally in China, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the opioid is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border by cartels.
Fentanyl is 80-100 times more potent than morphine and can be mixed into any number of street narcotics and prescription drugs, without a recipient knowing what he or she is consuming. Ingestion of only two milligrams can be fatal.