San Jose Man Faces Murder Charges in Fentanyl Deaths of Two Babies
An alleged drug trafficker faces accusations of murder in the death of fentanyl of two babies in May and August 2023 in San Jose, California, said prosecutors of the County of Santa Clara.
“The office of the district prosecutor Jeff Rosen announced on Friday that Philip Ortega, 33, had been accused of murder during the death of May 2023 of the child, who, the prosecutors, called” Baby Phoenix “,” reported CBS News on Friday. “Ortega has already been accused of murder in death by overdose in August 2023 of another child, who was nicknamed” Baby Winter “.
Baby Phoenix’s father David Anthony Castro, 40, also faces a murder accusation after being accused of endangering a criminal child, prosecutors said.
“The insane death of these two little girls broke our hearts and has hardened our determination to hold people responsible for the carefree Rosen said in a press release. “The fact that the same man has provided fatal medications that took the lives of Baby Phoenix and Baby Winter a few months old is beyond shocking.”
Prosecutors said baby Phoenix was found dead on May 13, 2023, in an apartment full of drug accessories. A later autopsy confirmed that she died of a deadly quantity of methamphetamine and fentanyl, according to the report.
Rosen’s office said new evidence shows that Castro sought Ortega at night before the child’s death, and Ortega would have provided drugs in Castro. Prosecutors also allegedly allegedly delayed asking for medical aid when he was trying to obtain the synthetic urine from a smoke store to lie about his drug use.
Baby Phoenix’s mother was not at home at the time of her child’s death and died a few months later from an overdose, prosecutors said.
Ortega is also one of the four people confronted with the death of Baby Winter on August 12, 2023. Winter’s parents would have waited more than 12 hours before calling the emergency services to report the death of their daughter.
The parents of Baby Winter, Derek Vaughn Rayo and Kelly Gene Richardson, are the first people of the County of Santa Clara to face accusations of murder for the death of their own child, according to the report.
Ortega and Castro are in prison in prison if they are sentenced.
