102°F
weather icon Mostly Clear

3 charged with murder in Pahrump woman’s overdose

Three people have been charged with murder for their alleged roles in the fentanyl and oxycodone overdose death of a Pahrump woman, according to the Nye County District Attorney’s Office.

The unidentified woman met with Charles Coleman, of Pahrump, along with Merrissa M. Ogden and Joshua Sanchez-Lopez, both of Clark County, who allegedly provided pills that killed the victim according to District Attorney Chris Arabia, in a complaint filed on March 25.

“Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid much stronger than heroin and it’s showing up more and more in cases of overdoses and deaths in Nevada, and when people provide drugs or pills, nobody knows if there’s fentanyl in the mix,” Arabia said. “One of the ways to fight the problem and protect our community is to hold the people responsible for the death, accountable for the death.”

Sanchez-Lopez, Ogden, and Coleman face one count of open murder, a category-A felony that could carry a life sentence, and conspiracy to violate the Uniform Controlled Substance Act, a category-C felony.

Additionally, Ogden also faces a gross misdemeanor charge of destroying evidence.

Nevada law provides for murder charges when a person is involved in furnishing drugs that cause the death of another.

As of now, court dates have not been set.

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes .

THE LATEST
More homes slated for Pahrump

One of the valley’s residential subdivisions is making its first move toward expansion in more than a decade, with the Nye County Commission approving a tentative map for what is known as Pleasant Valley earlier this month.

GriefShare celebrates 9 years of healing

This July marked the start of another year for the GriefShare chapter at Central Valley Baptist Church and in the last nine years, hundreds of lives have been changed by this nondenominational, multi-faceted support group. But the need is ever-present and GriefShare continues to pursue its mission of helping those who have faced loss through their journey from mourning to joy.

These local teens spent their summer building beds for kids in need

As part of the Step program, these teenagers worked with one of the valley’s ever-growing nonprofits, Nye County Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), to construct brand new beds from scratch, each destined to end up in the homes of area children who don’t have a bed to call their own.

Don‘t fall for this latest phone scam

After receiving numerous complaints from area residents regarding threats of incarceration, the Nye County District Attorney’s Office is now warning individuals to ignore phone calls about jury duty.

Back to school: Where to get free supplies & essentials

It’s not always easy for families to afford everything that’s needed, particularly with inflation putting an additional pinch on parents’ pockets.

‘Buy in Nye’ awarded for helping 17 homeowners

The Buy in Nye homeownership program provided nearly $3.9 million in affordable mortgages and $288,000 in down-payment assistance to 17 Nye County families.

Solar recycling project denied

Along with the boom in solar energy generation projects, solar recycling is becoming more prevalent, resulting in companies looking to expand their operations to accommodate the new industry. One company, i-Quest Inc., was hoping to bring its own operations to the Pahrump Valley but Nye County commissioners shot down the idea at the board’s most recent meeting.

GALLERY: Winners from this year’s 4th of July Parade

A special ceremony was held this week to bestow the awards upon those organizations that took home top honors in this year’s Fourth of July Parade, sponsored by the Pahrump Holiday Task Force in partnership with the Pahrump Disability Outreach Program.