RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KNX) — A federal judge ordered on Thursday that bail be reduced by half for a 22-year-old man accused of providing a lethal dose of fentanyl to a Temecula woman. He stands likely to be released from jail pending trial, as a result.
Brandon McDowell of San Bernardino was indicted in December on one count of distributing fentanyl resulting in death. McDowell’s arrest came after authorities spent nearly two years probing the death of 20-year-old Alexandra Capelouto.
According to prosecutors, Capelouto was home for the holidays in Temecula from a semester at Arizona State University. She allegedly contacted the defendant via Snapchat to purchase Oxycodone, a prescription painkiller.
“Investigators believe she crushed at least one of the pills and snorted the drug shortly before succumbing to the powerful opioid in the pills,” prosecutors said.
Capelouto reportedly did not realize she ingested fentanyl laced into the Oxycodone.
Bail was originally set at $200,000. On Thursday, U.S. District Magistrate Kenly Kato halved it. The judge issued no public reasoning as to why the amount was reduced to $100,000, but it’s possible the defendant’s lack of prior criminal history may have been a factor.
A woman named Michelle McCarthy has agreed to post bond, according to court documents. Her relationship with McDowell was not immediately known.
McDowell could face a minimum of 20 years behind bars and a maximum of life in prison without parole if convicted, according to prosecutors.
Related
