Opening statements were heard Friday in Fresno County’s first fentanyl-related homicide trial, where Cassidy Gonzalez, 24, stands accused of murder in the overdose death of Jade Dreith.

The verdict could rest on whether prosecutors can prove Dreith died from Gonzalez’s pills — not someone else’s.

Events Leading to Arrest

Prosecutors allege Gonzalez knowingly sold Jade three counterfeit oxycodone “M30” pills containing fentanyl on Jan. 15, 2022. The prosecution allege that Gonzalez knew and continued to sell pills laced with fentanyl.

Dreith, 41, was found dead in her apartment near Fresno State two days later after her sister alerted authorities. An autopsy determined her cause of death as fentanyl toxicity, prosecutors said.

Dreith, who worked at Eureka Burger in north Fresno, had picked up the pills after her shift, according to prosecutors. They claim detailed cell phone records confirm the drug transaction.

The defense argued that Dreith was a known user of counterfeit prescriptions and heroin, having previously attended rehab. They cast doubt on the prosecution’s case, questioning whether the pills she ingested came from Gonzalez or another source.

Prosecutors presented an Instagram message from Gonzalez stating, “She got the pills from me the night she died.” The defense dismissed it as speculation.

The defense pointed to messages between Dreith and Alejandro Valvorde-Nuno about purchasing drugs on Jan. 14, one day before Gonzalez allegedly made the sale.

Authorities later conducted two undercover drug purchases from Gonzalez in August and September 2022, with investigators saying the pills tested positive for fentanyl. The defense countered that Valvorde-Nuno was also involved in those transactions and said that those pills were not tested for fatality strength.

Gonzalez and Nuno were arrested on Oct. 13, 2022, and booked into the Fresno County Jail according to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office.

A Jar of Pills Found by Jade’s Sister

The prosecution said that Sage Dreith, Jade’s sister, found a pill jar with two-and-a-half pills in Jade’s kitchen cabinet. Following the advice of investigators, the defense said, she destroyed the remaining pills.

The defense argued that because the pills were never tested for fentanyl, the jury could not be certain which pills Dreith ingested or who had supplied them. They said that the only proof that the prosecution has that the pills Dreith took were from Gonzalez was speculation.

The defense also went through a list of witnesses, saying each one could not testify to what were in the pills that Gonzalez gave to Dreith.

Gonzalez was seen shaking her head as prosecutors concluded their opening statement.

This trial is ongoing and evidence is being heard on Friday afternoon.

Similar Cases Regarding a Fentanyl Murder Trail

There has been similar California trials in which a drug dealer was found guilty of murder.

A Placer County judge sentenced Carson Schewe to 20 years to life in prison on Dec. 5, 2024, for the fentanyl-related death of Roseville resident Kade Webb, according to Placer County.

Schewe was convicted of second-degree murder and multiple drug sales charges following an investigation by the Placer County Special Investigations Unit and the Roseville Police Department.

Authorities determined that Webb, found dead in 2021 at a local business, had ingested a fentanyl-laced pill purchased from Schewe.

In Riverside County, a jury found Vicente David Romero guilty on Aug. 31, 2023, in the fentanyl-related death of Kelsey King. This was California’s first-ever jury conviction for a fentanyl-related homicide, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office said.

Romero was convicted of second-degree murder for supplying King with a fentanyl-laced pill on June 16, 2020, in Temecula. Prosecutors presented body-worn camera footage in which Romero admitted to splitting a M30 pill, which he knew contained fentanyl.

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