Opening statements are slated for next week in the trial of a probationer accused of supplying a deadly dose of fentanyl to a 29-year-old Lake Mathews man.
John Frederick Sandoval, 31, of Jurupa Valley is charged with second-degree murder in the 2023 death of his longtime friend, George Sandoval.
After two days of hearings, a jury on Wednesday was sworn in to hear the case. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Sam Shouka directed the panel to return to the Riverside Hall of Justice Monday for opening statements and the start of prosecution testimony.
Sandoval is being held on $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail.
According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney’s Office, George Sandoval was a drug user who turned to the defendant for help procuring narcotics, allegedly including the methamphetamine-fentanyl mix that precipitated the victim’s death on April 7, 2023.
The brief detailed multiple instant messages exchanged between the men. The gist of the messages related to costs and quantities, according to the narrative.
On the morning of his death, autopsy findings showed the victim consumed a powder substance containing meth and fentanyl. According to the prosecution, George Sandoval ingested the powder in his Dodge Magnum, parked outside his home in the 22000 block of Piedras Road, near Gavilan Road. He collapsed as he exited the vehicle, falling face forward, with the upper half of his body inside the car, and the lower half outside, with him on his knees. He died of acute fentanyl toxicity, or poisoning, prosecutors said.
Detectives spent nearly two months going through evidence, including the telephone messages, ultimately confirming that John Sandoval was the alleged source of the lethal drugs.
A search warrant was obtained and served at his property in the 8400 block of Saddle Creek Drive, where “brick style packages of fentanyl weighing approximately 2.7 pounds each” were seized, along with “cocaine weighing 3.9 ounces and two clear baggies of fentanyl weighing 1.3 and 1.4 ounces, respectively,” according to the brief.
The defendant agreed to speak with detectives, acknowledging that he realized fentanyl could be perilous, court papers said.
“John said he warned George … `Bro, be careful. This (expletive) is deadly. I don’t want you to die,”’ the brief said.
It said the defendant told investigators the victim replied, “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine. I’m good.”
“The evidence showed the defendant had substantial knowledge of fentanyl, its dangers, how it is sold and … most importantly, how dangerous it is,” according to the prosecution.
After his arrest, Sandoval was booked into jail on drug-related charges, not for murder, as the investigation was incomplete. The defendant pleaded guilty less than three weeks later to two counts of possession of controlled substances for sale, as well as being a narcotic addict in possession of a firearm and possession of an assault rifle.
He was sentenced to two years’ felony probation.
By the end of August 2023, detectives had gathered sufficient evidence to seek a murder charge against him, and the District Attorney’s Office filed a new criminal complaint. In addition to his most recent conviction, Sandoval has a prior misdemeanor conviction for driving under the influence.
Since February 2021, prosecutors have charged more than three dozen people in connection with fentanyl poisonings. Three prosecutions have resulted in murder convictions.
Preliminary county health department statistics indicated there were 229 suspected fentanyl-related fatalities countywide in 2025, compared to 351 confirmed poisonings in 2024, a roughly 40% decline.
Fentanyl is manufactured in overseas labs, principally in China, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, which says the synthetic opioid is smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border by cartels.
Fentanyl is 80-100 times more potent than morphine and can be mixed into any number of street narcotics and prescription drugs, without a recipient knowing what he or she is consuming. Ingestion of only two milligrams can be fatal.