Criminal
Feb. 23, 2021
Riverside DA files rare murder charges in fentanyl death
Murder charges in such cases have been rare but prosecutors are arguing that the defendants knew the drugs could cause death, and are supporting legislation to make convictions on those grounds more likely.
Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin has filed second-degree murder charges against an alleged drug dealer accused of selling pills laced with fentanyl to a teenager who died of an overdose last year.
The charges against Joseph Michael Costanza, who pleaded not guilty to homicide and other charges at his arraignment Monday, are the first of their kind in Riverside County, Hestrin said at a news conference. Similar charges...
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