Charity Faith Wiley of Reseda charged with murder and other felonies after June overdose

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – Charity Faith Wiley of Reseda is facing a charge of second-degree murder, and 17 other felony charges, after a Simi Valley man overdosed on a mixture of fentanyl and xylazine the 39-year-old woman had allegedly sold to him in June of 2024.

Wiley is also facing an additional 17 felonies related to drug possession and drug sales, firearm charges, and several special allegations shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office in a press release Thursday.

On June 6, 2024, deputies and medical responders were called to a residence in unincorporated Simi Valley for an apparent overdose stated the Ventura County Sheriff's Office in a press release Thursday.

The man, identified as a 28-year-old Simi Valley resident, was declared dead at the scene by medical first responders and members of the Sheriff's Major Crimes and Narcotics Bureaus seized drug paraphernalia and other evidence at the scene detailed the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, the County Medical Examiner's Office determined the man's cause of death to have been from a lethal amount of fentanyl and xylazine in his system.

Detectives with the Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Unit (VC FOCUS), a task force of regional law enforcement dedicated to combat fentanyl-related crimes, took over the investigation and identified 39-year-old Charity Wiley of Reseda as the person who sold the man the fentanyl that caused his death explained the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Detectives discovered that Simi Valley Police Department had previously investigated Wiley in November of 2022 and concluded their investigation with her arrest for narcotics sales, firearms charges, and conspiracy noted the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

During their prior investigation, detectives with Simi Valley Police had seized 1.25 kilograms of fentanyl, one kilogram of cocaine, one pound of methamphetamine, 49 grams of heroin, several thousand pharmaceutical pills, three handguns, ammunition, and almost $100,000 believed to be proceeds from illegal narcotics sales while serving search warrants at multiple homes and storage units across Los Angeles County detailed the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, VC FOCUS detectives also learned that the Simi Valley Police Department had started a new investigation of Wiley based on information that she had resumed narcotics sales activities and both law enforcement agencies began a collaborative investigation.

In December of 2024, a second search warrant was served at Wiley's home where detectives seized a semi-automatic shotgun, ammunition, body armor, pharmaceutical pills, scales, packaging materials, and "numerous items related to fraud, identity theft and ID manufacturing" explained the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Wiley was arrested during the search warrant and booked on narcotics sales, forgery, and conspiracy added the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, several months of physical surveillance and other investigative methods followed before VC FOCUS presented its fatal overdose case to the District Attorney's Office for review and prosecutors agreed to file homicide charges against Wiley and secured a warrant for her arrest on the charge.

On March 5, 2025, detectives executed the arrest warrant at a home in the 19500 block of Vose Street in Reseda where Wiley and four other people were arrested -including two men with active warrants for drug sales - and a search of the residence resulted in the seizure of fentanyl, methamphetamine, scales, packaging materials, and U.S. currency believed to have come from the sale of narcotics detailed the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

Wiley was booked into the Ventura County Pre-trial Detention Facility where she remains on a $750,000 bail and the two other men arrested on outstanding warrants are also in custody on $100,000 bail shared the Ventura County Sheriff's Office.

According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, Wiley was arraigned on the following charges on March 6, 2025:

Charged Violations:

• PC 187(a)- Murder in the Second Degree
• {Four Counts} H&S 11352(a)-Sale/Transportation/Offer to Sell/Import for Sale of a Controlled Substance
• H&S 11379(a)-Sale/Transport/Offer to Sell a Controlled Substance
• {Three Counts} H&S 11351-Possession for Sale of a Controlled Substance
• {Two Counts} H&S 11378-Possession for Sale of a Controlled Substance
• {Two Counts} H&S 11370.1(a)-Possession of a Controlled Substance with a Firearm
• H&S 11375(b)(1)-Possession for Sale of a Designated Controlled Substance
• {Three Counts} PC 27545-Unlawful Transfer of a Firearm
• PC 182(a)(1)-Conspiracy to Commit a Crime

Special Allegations:

• PC 781-Offenses in Multiple Jurisdictions
• PC 790(a)-Jurisdiction
• CRC 4.421(a)(3)-Victim was Vulnerable
• CRC 4.421(a)(10)-Crime Involved Large Quantity of Contraband
• CRC 4.421(a)(2)-Defendant was Armed with and Used a Weapon
• CRC 4.421(a)(4)-Defendant Induced Another to Participate
• CRC 4.421(a)(8)-Manner in which the Crime was Carried Out Indicates Planning, Sophistication, or Professionalism

In 2024, the Ventura County Medical Examiner reported 200 overdose deaths and fentanyl was found in the system of 113 of those overdose victims shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

For more information about fentanyl, including resources for those struggling with addiction and where to get life-saving overdose rescue kits, visit ThinkAgainVC.com.

Members of the public can contact the VC FOCUS task force at 805-383-8700 or at VCFOCUS@ventura.org.