Sonora woman takes plea deal in fentanyl death. Latest on Stanislaus murder case
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Stacey Christ pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2024 fentanyl death in Sonora.
- Tuolumne and Stanislaus counties continue to pursue fentanyl-related charges.
- Less than 1% of fentanyl deaths in Stanislaus County lead to murder charges.
A Sonora woman pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in a fatal fentanyl poisoning last year.
Stacey Renee Christ, 28, entered the voluntary manslaughter plea Tuesday, July 8, the Union Democrat reported. She agreed to serve 13 years in state prison for the October death of Richard Jimmie “RJ” Bennett II, 39, of Sonora.
The Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office had charged Christ with murder on the grounds that she should have known that Bennett could have died.
Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Novelli said in court that Bennett had an addiction but had become sober before allowing Christ to stay at his apartment just before his death, the newspaper reported.
This was Tuolumne’s first murder charge involving the potent opiate. Stanislaus County has had three cases. Two of them were reduced to lesser counts, and the other is pending against the parents of a Riverbank child.
Victim’s family agrees with plea deal
The Union Democrat said Bennett’s loved ones were satisfied with the outcome. “We hope people in the community will see this and make some changes in their lives, so nobody else will have to die,” niece Angie Valentine said.
Christ will return to court Aug. 1 for formal sentencing by Judge Laura Krieg. The defendant remains in the Tuolumne County Jail without bail.
Details on the fentanyl murder cases in Stanislaus:
- A murder trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 14 for the parents of a 1-year-old who died of suspected fentanyl poisoning in Riverbank in December 2022. Tyler Jacob Jones, 34, and Maryanne Cazares, 27, are accused in the death of a boy identified in court papers as Tyler J. A judge in April set the trial date after the prosecution and defense could not reach a plea deal.
- George Foster Keene III, 29, of Ceres was charged with second-degree murder in the August 2023 death of Bethany Borges, then 24. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter a year later. Keene was sentenced to three years in state prison, with credit for the 350 days he spent in county jail. Borges was a waitress at the Harvest Moon restaurant in Modesto. Her family told The Modesto Bee earlier that she had accidentally taken fentanyl at a gathering in Ceres.
- Anthony Taft Lee, 39, of Modesto was charged with murder in the May 2021 death of Connor Hoffmann, then 21. Lee pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in January 2023. He was sentenced to five years in prison, with credit for time already served in county jail. Hoffmann had purchased $10 worth of fentanyl from a man he met on Snapchat, his family told The Bee earlier.
Murder charges have resulted from less than 1% of the county’s fentanyl overdose deaths in recent years. They totaled 101 last year, 127 in 2023 and 116 in 2022.
Health officials warn that minute amount of fentanyl can kill and that it is often combined with other drugs. More details, including how to prevent overdoses, are at the Stanislaus County Opiate Safety Coalition.
