Prosecutors argued that the drugs Cesar Eduardo Mejia-Sanabria sold an Aurora teen caused the boy’s death.
AURORA, Colo. — An Arapahoe County jury this week convicted a man on multiple drug charges but found him not guilty on charges directly related to the overdose of a 14-year-old Aurora boy.
The jury returned its verdict Tuesday against 30-year-old Cesar Eduardo Mejia-Sanabria, following a five-day trial. He was found guilty on the following charges:
- 2 counts of possession of fentanyl with intent to sell/distribute
- 1 count conspiracy to sell/distribute a controlled substance-fentanyl
“Instead of writing off this case as a tragic overdose, I commend the Aurora Police Department for their in-depth investigative work in identifying a drug dealer selling poison on our streets,” said District Attorney John Kellner. “In order to save other lives, it’s a priority for my staff and I to go after dealers who push this poison.”
Jurors failed to convict Mejia-Sanabria on charges of distributing a controlled substance (Fentanyl) resulting in death and child abuse resulting in death, which were directly related to the death of an Aurora high school student.
Around 1 a.m. Dec. 11, 2022, officers with the Aurora Police Department were dispatched to a home in the 1500 block of South Naples Street on a report of a suspicious child death. When officers arrived, they found a 14-year-old boy unresponsive on the floor in the basement.
An autopsy report revealed the boy died from fentanyl toxicity. Cellphone data showed the teen had a conversation about purchasing fentanyl pills on the night he passed away. Investigators were able to trace the conversation to a number registered to Mejia-Sanabria.
According to an arrest affidavit from Aurora Police, the victim bought the fentanyl sometime after 10 p.m. Dec. 10 and consumed it immediately at his home. He was pronounced dead around 1:30 a.m. Dec. 11, the affidavit says.
Once investigators connected Mejia-Sanabria to the death, an undercover officer texted him to purchase drugs. The two agreed to meet at a nearby department store to exchange $350 for 100 fentanyl pills. Mejia-Sanabria and a woman were seen arriving at the store but left when the undercover officer stated they couldn’t meet.
Narcotics investigators and gang unit officers then initiated a traffic stop, and Mejia-Sanabria and his passenger were arrested on outstanding warrants unrelated to the boy’s death. During a search of the vehicle, officers found fentanyl pills, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Mejia-Sanabria is scheduled for sentencing at 3 p.m. April 1. He faces a maximum of 16 years in the Department of Corrections.
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