A man accused of dealing fentanyl that killed three people in Los Banos earlier this year has pleaded not guilty to felony murder charges.
Raymond Caudillo, 21, faces three counts of murder for the string of overdoses in March. The Los Banos Police Department is investigating the deaths.
It’s the first time the Merced County District Attorney’s Office has charged someone with murder for allegedly dealing fentanyl. Other cities in California have started to prosecute fentanyl distribution as murder, such as in Riverside.
Caudillo appeared in person Wednesday at the Robert M. Falasco Justice Center in Los Banos, in front of Judge Jennifer Trimble.
Tina Hutson, a contract deputy public defender also appeared in person.
If found guilty, Caudillo could face 95 years-to-life in state prison. The charges come with felony enhancements for aggravation and a prior conviction for a violent felony. Caudillo in 2023 was convicted in Santa Clara County for robbery, court documents show.
Fentanyl is a strong synthetic opioid linked to many fatal overdoses, according to the California Department of Public Health. It can be distributed through illegal drug markets in pill or powder form.
The three fatal overdoses in Los Banos were among the city’s first of the year, Los Banos Police Chief Ray Reyna told The FOCUS in a phone interview on Thursday.
When an individual shows signs of overdosing, officers deploy Naloxone, Reyna said, which is known to reverse overdosing effects.
He could not speak on case details about the three overdoses, since they are still under investigation.
“It’s a terrible, terrible, dangerous drug, and in our opinion, we wish we could eradicate it, but holding those accountable, giving some closure to the families, it’s worth all the long hours and all the stresses of the investigation,” Reyna said.
Caudillo’s pre-preliminary hearing was set for June 24 at 9:30 a.m. at Merced County Superior Court in Los Banos. He remains in custody at the Merced County jail without bail.
