Brock Nieuwendorp was among the first people charged under a new law that increased penalties for some drug charges.
LAKEWOOD, Colo. — The first person charged by prosecutors in Jefferson County with fentanyl distribution resulting in death was sentenced Wednesday to 26 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Brock Nieuwendorp pleaded guilty in January to that charge in connection to the death of 25-year-old Catherine Hackim and faced a maximum of 32 years in prison.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Lakewood Police Department, he sold fentanyl to Hackim on multiple occasions including April 28, 2023 which is the day she died, according to the 1st Judicial District Attorney’s Office. He was the first person charged in Jefferson County under the new law in Colorado which increased penalties for some drug crimes.
On April 29, 2023, agents from the Lakewood Police Department (LPD) were dispatched to Hackim’s apartment for a welfare check. Her parents reported that they had been unable to contact her.
After entering her apartment, agents found Hackim deceased on her couch, the DA’s Office said. She had no apparent injuries; however, agents were aware that Hackim was known to use fentanyl.
They later located a drawer in the bathroom with a small bag of blue M30 fentanyl pills.
According to an arrest affidavit, Hackim’s parents obtained some information from her cellphone provider. They suspected that a person named “Brock Nie” might have supplied her with drugs. They noted that Hackim had made several payments to “Brock Nie” through Cash App.
Her parents also provided investigators with several codes they thought might work to unlock Hackim’s phone. One of them worked, and they found an exchange of text messages between her and Nieuwendorp made on April 28, 2023.
At the time of Hackim’s death, he was serving probation related to a criminal case in Douglas County. He has a separate pending criminal case in Denver for weapons and drug charges.
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