Ventura County DA announces 1st Fentanyl Murder Conviction

VENTURA, Calif. (KEYT) Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced the county's first fentanyl murder conviction in September.

Charity Faith Wiley, of Reseda, was convicted of second degree murder in the death of Devin Kastler and 5 other drug sales related charges.

Following the sentencing, Senior Deputy District Attorney Audry Nafziger described how Devin died.

"Charity Wiley, who was a drug dealer from Los Angeles County, was sentenced to 15-years-to-life for selling fentanyl laced with xylazine to Devin Kastler, which killed him," said Nafziger.

Prosecutors said the investigation discovered text messages between the Wiley and another person who refused to "tranq-dope" because it was killing people.

"She had business plans, she kept meticulous notes, she had pricing strategy and she preyed upon some of the the most vulnerable members of our society, "said Deputy District Attorney Devin Mirchi.

Kastler's family members had a chance to make impact statements describing the loss of their loved one.

"As a parent, when you lose a child, you're constantly wanting to know why, why did this happen? Why my child? Why me? Why am I standing here? I don't want my other children to only see a grieving mom. I want to honor my children's life here. It's all mixed up in my head, but it's knowing that you have a life before and you have a life after," said Devin's mother Kristi Kastler.

Ventura County's Medical Examiner reported that more than half of Ventura County's 216 overdose deaths in 2025 were linked to fentanyl.

For more information about fentanyl visit https://thinkagainvc.com/