Dealer of fentanyl-laced pills gets 8-year sentence in death of Concord girl
CONCORD, Calif. - A drug dealer convicted of selling fentanyl-laced pills that resulted in the death of a Concord teen was sentenced to eight years in prison on Thursday.
Authorities said Alejandro Urias was responsible for the death of 14-year-old Valentina Langhammer, who was a freshman at Concord High School.
"I hope he learned a lesson. And at least we have this drug dealer off of the streets. And stay away from the high school and make sure those kids grow up in peace," said Valentina's father, Walter Langhammer.
Urias, who's own mother died of a drug overdose, wrote an apology note to the Langhammer family. In the note he said he wished it "could have been me instead of someone so young and innocent."
Still the judge said the eight-year sentence should be a warning to other dealers.
SEE ALSO: 3 dead, 1 recovering in Gilroy fentanyl poisoning
"Prosecutors and judges are sending the message that fentanyl is not a recreational drug it's a toxic poison," said legal analyst and former prosecutor Steven Clark.
Authorities say they're fighting fentanyl in the courts and in the state legislature too.
Senator Dave Cortese introduced SB10, which aims to put education programs, training, and even Narcan in schools.
"We're interested in awareness that creates intervention that prevents overdoses in the first place," said Cortese.
Walter Langhammer was the one who found his daughter lifeless in her bed.
"There's a lot of parents who are like me... they found them dead and your life change completely," he said
He said Valentina had no idea what was in the pill she took. He hopes his daughter's case will be a wake-up call for others.
"They should be careful. Everybody should be talking about fentanyl and the damage it can create in this country," he said
Senator Cortese believes his bill can have an impact. It's modeled after the fentanyl working group in Santa Clara County which claims to have saved the lives of two students already.