AURORA, Colo. — An Aurora man was sentenced Thursday in connection with the case of a 16-year-old girl who died of mixed alcohol and fentanyl toxicity on Aug. 7, 2020.
A judge with the 18th Judicial District sentenced Jorge Alexander Che-Quiab to 64 years to life following a six-day trial.
On Aug. 7, 2020, officers with the Aurora Police Department responded to a Che-Quiab's home, along the 2100 block of S. Quentin Way in Aurora, for a report of a possible overdose. Police said they learned that Che-Quia, then 25 years old, and another man had supplied alcohol, marijuana and fentanyl to a group of underage girls at his home. The group told authorities that Che-Quia had picked them up around 1 a.m. and had told them he could give them alcohol, marijuana and cocaine.
According to the district attorney's office, Che-Quiab told police that a 16-year-old appeared to have overdosed, but he decided to go to sleep rather than get her help.
The following morning, the group found the girl was not breathing. Che-Quiab told authorities they called 911, but he flushed drugs down the toilet before paramedics arrived, according to the district attorney's office.
The teenager was pronounced deceased at the scene.
During the subsequent investigation, authorities learned that Che-Quiab had allegedly sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl after giving her a large amount of alcohol at the same gathering.
Investigators found about 300 pills containing fentanyl that were disguised as blue "M-30" Oxycodone pills, as well as heroin, in Che-Quiab's apartment.
In the teenager's autopsy and toxicology report, Arapahoe County Coroner Dr. Kelly Lear found the presence of fentanyl and alcohol in her blood and no sign of cocaine or cocaine metabolites.
Che-Quiab was charged in late 2020 with first-degree murder (extreme indifference), felony murder, two counts of distribution of a controlled substance to a minor, two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, sexual assault of a child, enticement of a child, three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, sexual assault (victim under 15), and attempted sexual assault.
He pleaded not guilty to these charges.
Following the trial, which began on April 25 and ended May 3, he was found guilty of the following charges:
- Manslaughter
- Two counts of distribution of a controlled substance to a minor,
- Two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute
- Sexual assault of a child
- Sexual assault (victim under 15)
The district attorney's office said he could face anywhere between eight to 116 years to life in prison.
“This is yet another tragic case underscoring the danger that fentanyl and other synthetic opioids pose,” District Attorney John Kellner said in May. “My office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who distribute these poisons in our community.”