Everardo Rodriguez, 30, is suspected of selling the fentanyl that killed 26-year-old Gavin Battle. Photo provided by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.A Lake Elsinore man who is suspected of selling the fentanyl that killed 26-year-old Gavin Battle was arrested and taken into custody on Friday.
On January 5 at approximately 8:25 p.m., Lake Elsinore Station deputies were dispatched to a call of an unresponsive adult male in a vehicle in the 29000 block of Central Avenue in the City of Lake Elsinore. Deputies located Battle and determined he was deceased, authorities said.
Through an extensive investigation by investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Overdose Death Investigations and Narcotics Unit and the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station, it was determined that Battle was a victim of homicide due to a fentanyl poisoning.
The investigation also determined that Everardo Martinez Rodriguez, a 30-year-old resident of Lake Elsinore, was responsible for selling the fentanyl that killed Battle, said the Riverside Sheriff’s Department.
On March 4, Rodriguez was located and taken into custody without incident and booked for murder. His bail was set at $1 million, according to jail records.
This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator Hollingsworth at 951-955-1700.
As a reminder, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department wants to remind citizens of the dangers of illicit narcotics, many of which may contain fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times stronger than morphine and can cause death or serious bodily harm.
