Fentanyl dealer convicted of murder for the death of 15-year-old Roseville girl; first fentanyl murder conviction in the state

Published July 7, 2023

 
Today, the Placer County District Attorney’s Office announced that 21-year-old Nathaniel Cabacungan was convicted of second-degree murder, among other charges, as it relates to a local Roseville area fentanyl death of a 15-year-old-girl reported in June 2022. This conviction is the first of its kind in the state. 
 
The arrest was made after an investigation by the Placer Special Investigations Unit (PSIU), a collaborative effort by the California Department of Justice, Placer County Sheriff’s Office, Roseville Police Department, Rocklin Police Department, Auburn Police Department, the Placer County Probation Department, and the Placer County District Attorney's Office.
 
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 the Placer County Sheriff’s Office’s dedicated detective to PSIU.  

The defendant is set to be sentenced on Aug. 16, 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. Learn more at www.placer.ca.gov/fightingfentanyl.