Vicente David Romero, in the yellow jumpsuit, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the fentanyl murder of Kelsey King, inset (King photo from Riverside County District Attorney’s Office; Courtroom screenshot from CBS Los Angeles affiliate KCAL-TV/YouTube)
The father of a murdered woman lambasted the man who poisoned her with fentanyl as a ‘worthless piece of s—‘ at his sentencing in California on Friday.
Tim King condemned Vicente David Romero, 34, sentenced to 15 years to life in prison after being found guilty of second-degree murder in the June 16, 2020, death of Kelsey King, 26, in Temecula, 85 miles south of Los Angeles.
“How do I tell her children that ‘Your mother is dead because a worthless piece of s— wanted to have sex with her and slipped her poison that killed her within three minutes,’” said Tim King, Los Angeles FOX affiliate KTTV reported.
In sentencing Romero, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Freer said: “It should be known far and wide that the district attorney, that’s Mr. Hestrin, and his deputy, Mr. Pfohl, who prosecuted this case, along with the sheriff’s office, that’s Chad Bianco and the deputies who testified, they will aggressively investigate and prosecute individuals for furnishing fentanyl causing death. That should be abundantly clear. They will seek murder charges in this case. They will obtain convictions.”
Prosecutors said Romero met King for the first time on the day of the murder and gave her a pill known as a “blue” or M30. Romero also admitted to investigators that he knew how dangerous fentanyl was and had overdosed on the drug before, prosecutors said.
Romero admitted to five additional charges, including possession of drugs while armed, being a convicted felon and drug addict in possession of a firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, prosecutors said.
“Drug-induced homicide is homicide. Today’s sentencing not only reflects the gravity of what happened to Kelsey King but what continues to happen to so many men and women in our community because of the skyrocketing rates of illicit fentanyl sales,” said District Attorney Mike Hestrin.
“Our office is prosecuting the largest volume of fentanyl-related homicides in the state because we firmly believe those who knowingly endanger the lives of others must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
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